Change of Heart
by Quirkista
Summary: Clarisse falls for Percy, in a typical Clarisse way, and vice versa. Read their cross country adventures. Annabeth is acting like a psycho. Clarisse tries to hide their relationship, from Ares. The trials and tribulations. Being a demi god is hard, but someone has to do it.
1. Hatred

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and I never will. I updated this chapter yet again,** **because I write so much better in the present tense, or at least I think so. Please review and tell me if I am wrong or right. I hope you enjoy and please review. I will review your fanfics (if you have any) because I know how it is to review and not get reviewed back.**

When Percy first comes into my range of vision, I feel a sudden and sickening mixture of hatred and butterflies. I don't know why, but I am simultaneously attracted to him, and repulsed at the very thought of the new boy, who goes by the name of Perseus Jackson. But who insists on going by the name of Percy.

I mean, come on, even his name screams utter dweeb. That poor soul, named after a famous son of Zeus. He will never live up to his name. His mom set up him for possible failure and a pending nervous breakdown.

I am arriving back to my cabin after training with my brothers and sisters. For the past two hours (but what seems like more), rumours have been spreading around camp, faster than MRSA in a hospital.

Silena walks up to me, and begins to chat to me about this Perseus boy. I just want to take a shower, to be honest. I mean, I am not exactly smelling of roses.

Of course, Silena is undeniably pretty. And I am not, obviously. But who cares? I can defeat her in practically all aspects of Camp Half-Blood, just like I can defeat nearly everybody else in combat. I am proud of that. I don't take crap from anyone, and nobody messes with me, unless they want to have their vital organs removed from their body, without anaesthetic.

Apparently, to most people at camp, I am scary and rumours fly at an unbelievable rate, claiming that I have anger problems.

I don't have anger problems. I have trust problems, and since I create so much controversy, people choose to see what they want to see. They want to see a girl with low self-esteem, and low self-worth. I am neither of those things. If anything, I am the complete opposite.

I don't need to be pretty to be confident, and because I am not pretty, I don't get hassle from boys, which is a relief.

"Did you hear the amazing news?"

"Huh?"

Oh, that is right. Silena is still there, chattering away. It is great to see people are listening, to what I have to say.

"He killed the Minotaur! I can't wait to see him! This is so exciting!"

Silena is really nice, that goes without saying, but she is very high energy.

I turn to my sister, Rowan in exasperation. It seems that we need to get comfy.

"Pass me the Gatorade."

"So Clarisse, what do you think?"

The words spill out of my mouth all at once.

"I think that he sounds like a cocky little ass-wipe."

Silena stares at me open-mouthed. Her eyes begin to well up. Suddenly, I feel like I have kicked a puppy.

"Oh I am sorry Silena, I didn't mean it like that."

I reach out to hug her, but she runs faster than those high heels should allow. I am impressed.

But I am not going to take my harsh words back, I speak the truth. And I think that he does sound like a cocky little ass-wipe.

He killed the Minotaur.

Big deal, I say. He probably got lucky. That is only the realistic possibility. Unless he is a son of the Big Three, but how likely is that?

Annabeth jogs down the hill with the newbie by her side, towards me. Great, I have to be sociable, and I smell. This is my perfect day.

She is showing him around Camp Half-Blood. He looks amazed yet puzzled at the same time. That look makes me want to punch him. Come on, boy, it isn't like this is the Lotus Casino and Hotel. It is a camp, nothing fancy.

I can tell he likes Annabeth. I sigh in complete and utter exasperation. This is nothing new. Call the editors at the Guinness World Book of Records. We have an original on our hands.

All the guys like Annabeth. I clench my fists in frustration.

But why did this hot, new guy have to like her as well. She can have any boy and I mean any boy she wanted. She has all the boys at camp under her spell, it is vile.

Annabeth suddenly pauses when she saw me. I sneer at her. Annabeth just raises her nose and introduces the newbie to me. Okay, Miss Priss, be a snob, I think to myself.

Seriously people, don't you understand, that I need to shower! Why make me be sociable at my hour of need?

I hate Annabeth. She and the rest of the Athena cabin, think they are so much better than us Ares kids, just because their mom is a total Einstein. Wow, what a surprise. The goddess of wisdom is intelligent. I didn't see that coming.

I grit my teeth.

"Clarisse, this is a newbie, obviously. Even you could tell that, with the limited amount of brain cells you have. I hope your Neanderthal brothers aren't rubbing off on you."

That did it. My patience to tolerate this irksome situation has surpassed a healthy level (not that I have much). I actually have a very low threshold of patience, extremely, extremely low. And Annabeth is really beginning to get under my skin.

It is one thing to insult me, but it is a completely different thing to insult my family. Let me at her!

My sisters Rowan and Steff hold me back. I feel like throttling her. I think I might actually throttle her. And this is not an isolated incidence; I have to put up with this every day.

"Poor breeding," Annabeth says with a sniff, her nose still up in the air.

I turn swiftly to look at the newbie. If I spend one more minute, seething at Annabeth, I will explode.

He has raven black, shaggy hair. His eyes are the colour of the sea and just as unpredictable. They seem to change in colour from calm sea green to a stormy blue. Wow, I have to look up at him to see his face. And what a face it is. Also, he looks pretty muscular for a sixteen year old boy.

Okay, stop looking, Clarisse. The rest of the girls at camp may have no self-respect, but you do. And you won't have that any more, if you keep looking at him, like a freak.

"Percy, if you deign to look at this horrid looking specimen, you have officially met the horrible, dumb and annoying Clarisse, daughter of Ares," she told him.

Wow, that is a great use of vocab.

I turn to look at Annabeth. She is deliberately trying to get a rise out of me. As you can see, she is extremely immature.

Suddenly he blinks.

"Wait, so you are daughter of the war god?" he asked.

Inwardly, we all groan.

"No, I am the daughter of the god of Pansies."

"Wow, really? That is so cool!"

I search his face for any sign of sarcasm. When I don't find any, I become angry, because of his stupidity.

Outwardly, I sneer at him and say," That's it. I'm going to introduce you to the toilet."

I grab hold of him and start dragging him into the girl's bathroom. All the while, I am conscious of my need to shower.

I don't know what he is so worried about. The girls' bathroom is like paradise, compared to the boys, so really I am giving him a vacation.

He begins to kick and shout, but I don't let go of him. When I am beside the toilet, I pull his head down into the toilet.

But something very strange happens.

Water bursts out of every toilet and sink.

I am soaked.

So are Rowan and Steff.

Annabeth pokes her head in and gets soaked for her nosiness. It serves her right, really. But Percy is perfectly dry.

Not even the ground around him is wet. There is a circle of about five feet in width all around him, which is completely dry.

Before I can stare in wonderment, something completely bizarre (and I mean even more bizarre, than the toilets suddenly exploding) happens.

Water shoots rapidly out of one of the sinks and pushes my sisters and me out the door.

"Percy Jackson, you will pay for this!" I shout through the door.

With that, we run back to our cabin amidst taunts and giggles.

Our faces are burning with shame and embarrassment.

When we reach our cabin, we shut the door behind us and say in unison," I hate Percy Jackson!"

For the rest of the day, we take out our anger on a dummy with Percy's face drawn onto it. It is very satisfactory.

I still feel very conflicted between hatred and butterflies whenever I see him for the rest of the day. I have to admit he was kind of cute but I still want to pummel the little dweeb.

I swear that I will get revenge. I don't realise that I will get my revenge so soon. The other thing I don't realise, is that I feel terrible afterwards, even though it is due and completely deserved.

**Please review and be honest. I love to hear your opinions.**


	2. Confusion and Apprehension

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and I never will. I am re-writing this in the present tense. Please tell me what you think about the two chapters so far. Pease read and review.

I wake up all of a sudden.

I look all around.

I don't recognise where I am. I am in a big, white room with statues and many beds.

I realise that I am in some sort of hospital. It is more of an infirmary really. Let's be honest, calling it a hospital would be an enormous stretch of the imagination.

When I hear someone clearing their throat, I look towards the source of the noise and notice the girl around my age sitting on a chair beside my bed, looking at me in gentle amusement.

She has grey eyes and blonde hair. She is really pretty. Also, she is very intimidating and she has a certain aura around her. I don't know what exactly. But, I think it might be an aura of intelligence.

"It took you a while, didn't it," she says.

I blush. She simply smirks at my embarrassment.

"Where am I?"

. Her smirk seems to widen, if that is even possible.

"And you are the one who supposedly 'defeated' the Minotaur?"

She says this in such a way, that I realise she is mocking me. I frown at that realisation. Well, I do until I remember how I got here.

It all comes back to me in a rush. There is no gentle progression, but a sudden, harsh reminder of the unfair truth.

My mom was trying to get me to some camp, but then... a Minotaur came and started attacking my mom, Grover and me.

My mom disappeared into thin air because of that Minotaur.

I jump up out of the bed in a rage. I stagger and nearly fall. Clearly, I have been out for a while. I feel so weak. Suddenly, the girl turns serious.

"Get back into bed."

The way she orders me into bed, reminds me of the way my mom ordered me to get out of bed. I was hell to wake up, I know that. I would cause my mom anguish. She would try to come up with creative methods, to get me out of my beloved bed.

She helps me get back into my bed. I suddenly realise that I still don't know the girl's name.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. And your name is Percy Jackson, unclaimed."

"How do you know my name?"

"Everybody knows who you are because apparently you defeated the Minotaur," she said in a 'like you didn't know' tone.

Thanks for making the invalid feel stupid. It is proven to increase the healing rate.

"But now, I am beginning to think that, it is looking less and less likely."

I decide to overlook that remark for the sake of my well-being.

"And, what do you mean that I am unclaimed?"

"No god has claimed you yet, as their son or daughter, so therefore by default, you are unclaimed."

I contemplate this for a while, but promptly I fall into a deep slumber.

When I wake up again, I notice Annabeth holding an object in her hand. Immediately my interest is piqued. I feel like the object is drawing me closer and closer to it. I feel powerful, and I most certainly like it.

She gives me some of the strange attracting device and tells me to eat. Never in my life, have I been ordered to eat food. I feel violated.

It tastes like blue cookies, just like my mom used to make. I feel tears start to well in my eyes. It takes a lot of getting used to. I am still not used to it.

I can't bring myself to think of her dead. She was so full of live and gentle.

I look up. Annabeth is looking at me sympathetically. That just makes it worse. I am beginning to feel sleepy again and before, I know it, I am in another deep slumber (they are becoming a regular occurrence these days!).

The next time I wake up, I feel way better. For one, I am not aching anymore, which is a good sign in anybody's book.

Annabeth is no longer in the room.

I feel disappointed. Wait a minute, I can hear her voice.

I get out of bed and walk towards her voice. I lean on the door and unfortunately the door opens and I land on the ground.

It is embarrassing enough to have been caught eavesdropping in front of one person, but apparently I have an audience of four, which makes it ten times worse.

I look up and see that both Annabeth and... Mr Brunner (what is he doing here, wherever here is?!) are looking down at me in amusement.

"I see you are getting restless, Percy," Mr Brunner says in amusement.

"Mr Brunner, what are you doing here?"

He smiled at me and says," Think back to your Ancient Greek lessons."

Suddenly, it all comes to me.

"You're Chiron, trainer of heroes."

"Yes, I am."

I can tell that he is relieved I figured out so soon.

"Annabeth, show Percy around. Then bring him to the Hermes cabin," Chiron tells Annabeth.

"Sure. Do you want anything else?"

"No, you are free for the rest of the afternoon. Just remember to mind Percy. It is only his first day and he won't be used to the atmosphere here."

Annabeth winks at Chiron and motions for me to follow. Wow, someone is cheeky.

Of course, I just stand there looking like a total tool.

All of a sudden, she turns and sprints down a large hill.

She really does look beautiful with her long, blonde hair down her back.

My mouth is open. Better close it, I don't want to catch flies.

Then she turns and shouts," Come on Percy. That is a very effective method of catching flies."

Weird.

She laughs at my open mouth and turns back to run down the hill.

I am embarrassed to have been caught staring at her yet again. Now, she knows that I like her. Damn that, anyway.

Oh well, it can't be helped, or can it, I muse.

I muster up my courage (I am really nervous. What if no one likes me?) And break into a full on sprint, racing after Annabeth, twisting and weaving among the many furze bushes.

Please review and be honest. I love to hear your opinions.


	3. Problems R Us

****Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and I never in the other chapters, I am re-writing this in the present tense. However, most of this chapter is a flashback, so it will remain in the past tense. Please read and review, because it will help me, update my new chapter that I am in the process of writing, sooner.****

I cannot believe it.

Wait.

Yeah, still can't believe it. Percy 'I'm so slow' Jackson is the son of Poseidon.

Well, actually yeah I can sort of believe this story. It explains why he is so slow.

Poseidon isn't known for being the smartest star fish in the sea, after all. At times, his intelligence has been compared to that of a humble pile of seaweed.

Ah, there it goes. The sky is rumbling and the waves have been increasing tenfold since I have thought that statement.

Today while we were playing Capture the Flag, a tragic event occurred.

Capture the Flag is by far the best/ most awesome game ever invented.*stares into the distance dreamily*

Sorry, sorry. Okay back to telling the story. Anyway we were playing Capture the Flag like I said, and he was playing defence for his team.

So I sneaked up behind him (he really is terrible at Capture the Flag). Maybe I shouldn't be so harsh, especially when his intelligence has been compared to that of Patrick Star. The poor baby.

Rowan and Steff were behind me. We went into formation (yeah, we have a lot of spare time on our hands).

He still didn't notice I was there, well until I stabbed him with the electric spear my dad gave me for my birthday last year.

He finally noticed I was there (finally! I was beginning to think that I would have to get dressed up in a mad clown costume, just for him to notice me. )

Come on Perseus, no sleeping on the job! Anyway, he fell onto the ground doubled over in pain. Just the way I like it.

I started moving towards him, which caused him to move closer and closer to the river, until eventually he was practically in the river.

I stabbed him again and he nearly lost control of his bodily function because of his pain. Yes, the pain I caused. Yes, I finally got revenge for the incident in the girls' bathroom. It serves him right, really for being a pervert.

Oh, that isn't the way you remember it, is it? Well, do you want to step outside for a minute? You don't? I thought as much.

Then he stepped into the river.

The strangest thing ever happened.

He raised his arms and all the water came out of the river. A trident appeared over his head. The little punk just looked at his arms in amazement.

He walked towards me and with a sudden burst of strength snapped my dagger in half.

He smirked at me and then he looked around.

Everyone besides me was bowing. Percy (or what I like to call him, the little punk. I love calling him Perseus even more) looked at me quizzically. I rolled my eyes at him.

The trident was still above his head.

He still, didn't appear to notice it. The whispers and awe-filled stares were really beginning to annoy me.

He is just a little punk, who broke my spear and maybe I have a teensy crush on him. Who cares if he is a son of Poseidon?

I can't take it anymore.

After two days of experiencing severe pain, I am sick of it. Oh, I don't mean severe pain like that. What I mean is that I can't take the way everybody is acting around him now, that he is been claimed as the son of Poseidon.

Everywhere I look, girls are staring at him, like he is some sort of movie star. Their panties are nearly dropping, for gods sake! The guys all want to be him. Percy, the boy wonder himself doesn't even realised he is being worshipped.

It is enough for me to simultaneously face palm myself and puke my guts at the same time.

He doesn't know what anyone is talking about. I wouldn't consider that to be a surprise. Seriously, don't these girls have any respect for themselves?

They sigh when he is within touching distance, blushing and stammering when he talks to them.

Come on, have you never heard of feminism. Yeah, I am pretty sure that goes against the code of feminism! The original feminists would be ashamed at the way they are acting!

I wonder what they would be like if he kissed them. If they act like complete tools, when he looks at them, they would have conniptions, the whole lot of them.

Ugh, I would hate it if he kissed any of them. Why? I will tell you why, because I will have to hear it for the foreseeable future.

I'm not jealous or anything. I am really not. Why should I be?

Well anyway, here is an example of one of those sad excuses of bimbos: How you doing?

Yeah he really speaks like that. It is quite sad, yet at the same time endearingly cute.

I think that he is under the illusion that he is in fact Joey from Friends.

I wish the Athena table didn't sit right next to us so I wouldn't have to hear Annabeth's annoying, know-it all voice.

Her big words are rubbing off on me. Have you ever heard me use the term conniption before? Exactly, my point is proved.

Some random girl 1: Squeal, ugh, squeak, oh, oh my gods!

How sad right, right?

You don't agree with me. Great, now I'm arguing with myself.

Curse you, Percy Jackson. Look what you have done to me!

I wish Percy would just leave.

I don't want my half-siblings to know I like... I mean I might...Oh who I am kidding.

I want him to leave so I won't have to watch what I say, in case I tell him I like him.

How embarrassing that would be! And this camp is full of bitchy, gossip queens.

Everyone will know.

This mental fight with me happened while I was having dinner with my cabin. They were completely shocked. They didn't know what was wrong with me.

Rowan was saying on our way back to our cabin that she is thinking about bringing me to the hospital ward and locking me into a room with no hard objects.

Maybe add a strait jacket or two as well. Isn't she lovely?

I prayed to Ares to send Percy away for something, anything. I just can't stand girls fawning over him, acting like they have half a brain. I mean, they are drooling, actually drooling!

Three days later, my wish comes true. Percy is to retrieve Zeus's lightning bolt. Thank gods; he will be gone for a while, so I can get my emotions into check.

However, the next day, I am quick to change my tune.

Why? Well, I couldn't tell you that, now, could I?

****Please review and be honest. I love to hear your opinions.****


	4. The Realisation

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and I never will. I am updating all chapters, because of the large number of mistakes, I saw while reading over Change of Heart. Please read and review. I am updating old chapters before I update a new chapter. Also, I have added quite a bit onto the old chapters. I would really appreciate reviews.**

I have been at camp for a week now. I joined in with all the activities. The only activity that I haven't had the chance to experience, before was Capture the Flag.

Today, I had my opportunity. And may I say, it is dangerous….but I like it!

The only thing that I didn't like was being attacked by Clarisse and her insane, electric dagger.

Let me tell you all about the long, painful story.

I was stationed beside the river and I was playing defensive for my team.

Believe me, defence is not my forte!

Clarisse surprise-attacked me with her electric spear and I doubled over with pain.

Well, I found out it was an electric spear, in a very harsh way.

Yeah, I can still remember the pain, ugh. That is pain in a word. Anyway, back to the story. Where was I?

Oh yeah. Clarisse surprise-attacked me with her spear when I wasn't looking.

You don't believe me? I really wasn't looking! My ADHD got the better of me and I was distracted by a scurrying rabbit in the nearby hedgerow.

She kept walking towards me and I didn't have any choice but to go back.

She was with her two, equally tough-looking half-sisters.

I had to try to defend the flag; otherwise it would just be embarrassing, if they won so early in the game.

She backed me up until I was practically in the river.

I then walked into the river in an attempt to dodge her spear.

Something weird happened. My cuts from the spear disappeared in the blink of an eye. While I was still looking at my arms, everyone else was looking above my head.

I looked all around. All the water in the river was gone. I put my hands out and suddenly the water was rushing back into the river. I looked at something beneath my feet. I broke Clarisse's electric spear.

I couldn't remember doing it, but who else was near her? Like I said, I couldn't remember anything. It was all a blur.

Then I looked back. Everyone was still staring at me. Curious to why they were staring, I looked up as well. That is when I saw the green trident above my head.

I looked back down again. Everyone, okay not everyone (Clarisse wasn't) kneeled down.

I felt my face go red with embarrassment. Chiron stepped out of the crowd. His face was pale.

"Percy, we need to talk, about what this means."

"What? I'm the son of Poseidon. What do we need to talk about?"

"You are in grave danger, Percy. You are a son of the Big Three. Your life will be completely different now that you know this scary truth. Monsters will find you where everywhere you go. Fighting for your life will be a daily occurrence. Your scent is strong. You will have to be brave and face dangers you never knew existed. I always thought that you had a strong aura. I always had inkling that you would be the son of the Sea God. Grover told me, that you were like a fish in the water. Percy, you don't know how much danger you will be in. On a lighter note, let's have dinner."

I'm not going to lie.

What Chiron told me really shook me. No one will ever know how much.

"Percy, you will get your own cabin now, since there are no sons or daughters of Poseidon. Hurry now, gather your stuff and meet me outside Cabin 11."

I sprinted from the forest to Cabin 11 to grab my stuff.

Chiron was waiting at the door of the cabin for me. He showed me the way over to Cabin 3: Poseidon's Cabin. I turned to look at Chiron for reassurance. He motioned for me to open the door.

When I didn't open the door, I looked back at Chiron.

He smiled and nodded to me and gestured for me to open the door.

I turned back around to the door and took a deep breath.

Alright now, just open the door. What I saw inside the Cabin made my jaw drop.

This place is amazing.

But then I realised that I was the only person in this Cabin. Especially compared to the business in Cabin 11, this place was lonely.

I shrugged my shoulders. I tried to stay strong. I am only new at the camp and I have been singled out yet again as a freak.

When I look outside the Cabin, I realise that everybody is staring at me. Everybody starts to move away, after I catch them staring.

Everyone else has someone to sit with at dinner.

But I'm alone.

It dawned on me that everybody was watching me. Probably laughing about the fact that I'm all alone, I wouldn't blame them. I sighed.

Well, guess I should get this over with. Just then, Sophie from the Aphrodite Cabin walked over to my table.

"Hey Percy, you looked so lonely and I decided to come over to keep you company."

Wow, is it just me or is she being really flirtatious?

She gazed into my eyes. She really is beautiful. Long, brown hair and violet eyes made her stand out.

We stayed talking for...half an hour.

Maybe an hour, I don't know. I lost track of time. Daughters of Aphrodite are so charismatic. They can talk about anything, which makes them excellent conversationalists.

Suddenly, I saw Clarisse look at me. She looked hurt.

Maybe her brothers said something. But by the way she looked at me, I knew I did something wrong again.

Well, I did break her electric spear. Maybe that is what is making her upset. I couldn't blame her really.

**Please review and be honest. I love to hear your opinions.**


	5. Mental

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and I never will **

That hurt me, when Percy was flirting with that Sophie chick, from that Aphrodite Cabin.

It hurt, like nothing ever hurt before. Seeing the way he looked into her eyes and the way he whispered in her ear.

The way she giggled, infuriated me.

The way she touched his arm, nauseated me.

The way her siblings cheered me on, hurt me.

It made me feel even more inferior to the Aphrodite girls. I will never compare to them. I understood then that a guy like Percy, cool, somewhat dumb at times, and infuriatingly handsome, was out of my league. Then Percy looked across and saw me staring. I got up from my seat and walked away. I ignored the concerned stares of my half-siblings.

I could feel somebody walking behind me. I could hear their breathing and their footsteps. I could tell from the footsteps that it was a boy, who was following me.

I turned around, my dagger in my hand just in case. When I looked up, Percy was staring at me worriedly. "What do you want, Percy?" I said with none of the usual Clarisse snap. I could see this really worried Percy. By the look in his eye, I could tell that he didn't know what to say.

"Look, Clarisse, are you alright? Okay, I already know the answer to that, you are not okay. Is there something I have done? Are you upset because I broke your electric spear, because I didn't mean to break it," he said, all in one breath.

"Percy, I have gotten used to guys ignoring me in favour of the Aphrodite girls, not that I can blame them, but Percy what I'm trying to say is that rejection hurts and, I have gotten too used to it. I don't need my heart broken again. I can't afford. I have been hurt too much already," I said with a sigh.

"Wait, what?" Percy asked, with the most adorable confused smile on his face. "Percy, oh my god, you can be so dense. I like you, Percy, okay!" I yelled and then I burst into tears.

Percy looked taken aback, not that I can blame. The infamously tough Clarisse crying like the world is ending. Okay, I won't go that far, but still it hurt so much.

Percy sat down beside me and said, "Clarisse, I like you, okay. It may not seem like I like that from your perspective, but that's how guys are and we act stupid sometimes."

"Percy, try all of the time," I said, chuckling a small bit through my tears. Then, Percy did something, which amazes me till this very day (a day later). He kissed me.

Then he stood up and said, "Clarisse, will you be my date to the camp fire?" "I will have to think about it," I said.

Percy pouted. Aww, it is so cute.

"Alright, I will be your date, but only because you asked in such a nice way," I said. Then his face lit up and, he said, "Race me, please?" I was just about to say," Okay, fine, I will race you," but I realised he was gone.

I ran after him until I spotted him. He put his arms around my waist and said," Alright, my lady, after you." I rolled my eyes at his antics, but did what he said.

**Would you like me to write a new chapter? Please review and be honest.**


	6. Danger

I could not believe what I just did. I couldn't help but chuckle at my good fortune. I had never dreamed that Clarisse would like me back. I'm just...me, while she is amazing at everything she does and has an amazing sense of humour.

I gently flirted with her and she flirted with me back. Before I could faint with happiness, I decided to make a game of getting back to the clearing the first. I ran, leaving her with a surprised look on her face. Well, that is until she ran after me, screaming all the while way. I smiled and decided to enjoy the moment.

When I came back to the clearing, I realised something was wrong right away. See, I'm not that stupid! Everyone was looking at me in shock. The crowd made way for Annabeth. Annabeth smiled graciously and then turned to face me again. She began to frown again.

"Well, what is wrong?" I said after a long silence. A smile began to tug at her lips and she said, "We must leave for the quest earlier than planned." I sighed with relief. I thought it was going to be much worse. "Well, what is the problem?" I asked. When nobody answered, I began to feel freaked-out. This must be more serious than I thought. "We have less time to complete the quest," she said.

I looked at her. She looked at me. "Well, when are we leaving?" I asked after a good five minutes of silence. "Oh tonight," she said calmly. Just at that minute, Clarisse burst into the clearing. Not noticing the crowd of people, she put a coy smile on and said," Where were you hiding?"

Someone cleared their throat. Everybody gasped. Clarisse finally noticed everyone all around me. She froze but then said, "I was messing. Jeez, guys! You actually thought I was serious?" With that, she burst out laughing. After a while, everybody else started laughing as well. Wow, she is a really good actress, I thought. She made everyone believe she was only messing. For Clarisse, that must have been hard, trying to come up with an excuse that good. I felt proud of her.

Chiron stepped out of the crowd. "Percy, you must prepare for your quest. Annabeth and Grover shall accompany you," he said to me in a soft voice.

"I will be ready," I said quickly and quietly, taking a sneak peek at Clarisse. Clarisse seemed to be the only person who noticed and quickly blushed, until her sisters came up to her and asked her why she was blushing. I looked away, finding it very hard to draw my eyes off her.

Chiron seemed to know I was looking at her and patted me on the back. I blushed and he smirked at me, mumbling something like "I won that bet against Dionysus, now he has to own up the money". Well, that is what I gathered from it. Giving me one last triumphant glance, he walked away; apparently going to tell Mr. D to pay him the money he is owed. Glad I can be of help, I thought dryly. I felt Clarisse's glance on my back.

I turned around and walked over to her. She looked up at me. I took her hand and then walked over to my cabin, taking her with me. She looked at me questioningly.

I just smirked at her and put my hand up. I opened the door to my cabin and then walked in, Clarisse following me. Her eyes went wide when she saw my cabin. "Your cabin is amazing, it is so big and beautiful," she said," the Ares cabin isn't half as nice. It is so small and uncomfortable. It is barely big enough for all my siblings. If there were any more Ares children, there wouldn't be any room."

Clarisse continued on like that for quite a while, finally stopping for air. She looked confused. "How come I was talking so much like that? Usually, it's only the Aphrodite girls that talk like that" she said. An Aphrodite girl was passing my window, like they usually do at this time of night, to watch me get changed and she shouted out," Hey! I take offence at that!" With that, she pouted. "I don't care what you take offence at once you move away from my sight!" Clarisse shouted back. The Aphrodite girl just pouted and swung her hair and flo9unced off, leaving us alone again. "Nice one Clarisse!" I said to her. I then leaned over and kissed her. She seemed surprised at first, but then kissed back with enthusiasm.

We kissed for fifteen minutes, until Annabeth came to tell me to pack. When Annabeth walked in, her eyes seemed to glint. She suddenly seemed like she was going to throttle Clarisse. I looked at Clarisse. I feared for her life, the way Annabeth was looking at her.


	7. Goodbye

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and I never will, unfortunately.**

I hated the way Annabeth was staring at me. I suddenly let out a growl. I got off the bed and walked towards her, not stopping until I was right in front of her face. She took a step back and I bared my teeth.

What do you want?" I asked her. "Percy," she whispered, smirking at me. "It was a rhetorical question; you are not supposed to answer. For someone who is supposed to be 'smart', you really don't have much going on for you in the top storey. And I knew what you wanted before you happened your stinking mouth, you are too obvious. Stay away from him," I growled all this, my anger all coming out at once.

I have had to stick this rubbish for years, Annabeth Chase strutting around like she is so great because she is so 'smart' (I am seriously doubting that at this stage) and all the boys drooling about her because she is pretty. I have had enough. Now it's my time for Percy's attention. I don't ask for much, but when I do, I should be able to have a bit of attention.

Percy was still sitting on the bed when I looked around. He had a proud smile on his face and he looked so hot. I looked back at Annabeth. She was trying to come up with a retort. It was a painful and horrifying experience watching her think.

Eventually she just said to Percy," Be ready in half an hour," and stomped out the door of Percy's cabin. Percy took three steps to walk over to me and then engulfed me in a big hug. Percy started chuckling. "You got her there, she took like ten minutes to think of something good to say back to you, and she is supposed to be a daughter of Athena," he said to me. He was still chuckling. Percy leaned over to kiss me. I smiled and kissed him back. Percy took a step back and looked at me.

"What are you doing?" I asked. "I am trying to remember everything about you. After all, I'll be gone, for who knows how long on the quest to retrieve Zeus's bolt," he said smiling at me. I blushed. "Well, how can you possibly forget about me," I said and winked at him.

I couldn't believe I was acting like this. Usually, it is the Aphrodite girls who flirt like I'm flirting now.

Percy was surprised but he smirked at me and winked back at me. He hugged me and then we kissed again. We walked up to the Big House holding hands. I looked around; making sure nobody could see us holding hands. Not that I am embarrassed about holding his hand, but I'm a daughter of Ares and people expect me to always be strong, almost like a bully. I hate that stereotypical view and if anyone starts laughing at me, they will be greeted with my famous temper.

We were standing by the Big House and I leaned over to kiss Percy again. Only this time, we had company. Connor and Travis Stoll were watching us kissing. Of course, I didn't know this and continued kissing Percy.

It was later that day, when Percy was long gone with Annabeth and Grover. I don't trust that girl...well anyway I was sitting down to dinner, when I noticed everybody staring at me. I stood up on my table and screamed," WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME FOR?" Well, that got everybody's attention and they went back to eating their dinner, sneaking looks at me all the time.

Steff leaned over and said;" Connor and Travis saw you making out with Percy Jackson by the Big House earlier on." WHAT? I looked around and saw those meddlesome twins trying to sneak away. They are such cowards. I was so angry now. I ran after the twins, chasing them into the forest. I sprinted after them and soon they ran out of breath. "What is wrong with the two of you?"

I screamed still shaking with anger. They were cowering, the both of them curled up on the ground. They didn't answer me and I punched both of them in the eye. They will have two matching shiny bruises, by tomorrow, so they can keep being identical. The two of them fainted and I ran to the training arena to take my anger out on the dummies. After two hours and four hundred severed dummies later, my anger was finally gone. I sank onto the ground.

I eventually got off the ground and headed back to my cabin. I knew when I walk through those doors; questions will be thrown at me from every angle. I sighed and purposely walked incredibly slowly back to my cabin.

**Please review and be honest. I love to hear your opinions.**


	8. Decisions, decisions

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.**

After Percy left for his really important quest, camp became lonely and dull (well for me, anyway). Rowan was worried about me. I wasn't participating in camp activities such as Capture the Flag, which is pretty unusual for me, since usually I would be the first to want to captain one of the teams.

My sadness was caused by the fact that Annabeth, of all people, was one of the two people that were allowed to accompany Percy. Annabeth was, is and always will be the girl whom all boys fell in love with, sooner or later. She has all the characteristics that boys love, I mused gloomily. She is smart, pretty and willingly (and when I mean willing, I hope you know what I mean) to do whatever boys want. Annabeth has a reputation as camp slut.

I sighed. Before Percy came along, I couldn't care less about Annabeth Chase, mostly because I never had a reason to. Obviously, I detested Annabeth from the moment I saw her, because I knew from the moment I saw her, all those years ago (it really wasn't that long ago, it just feels like it sometimes), I knew she would grow up to be one of those girls who never had to do anything, because other people would do it for her. I also hated her just for the sake of hating her. I am never going to be pretty and I can deal with that. I am tough and that is all I need. My toughness has gotten me through life so far.

Annabeth could try anything on Percy and the poor, unsusceptible boy that he is would probably enjoy whatever she tried on him, in the heat of the moment. It isn't that I don't trust Percy, but that I don't trust Annabeth. I really don't trust her and I promise you that I will never trust her. For the last half hour, I have been sulking, which really isn't a common sight these days.

It is past curfew and I am sitting by the sea (the harpies are probably going to be doing their rounds soon), because it reminds me of Percy. Ugh, bleugh, I am turning into a soppy, pathetic excuse of a girl. I furiously rub my hand against my face to remove any residue of tear stains. I can't believe it took one boy to turn me into a sobbing mess. I look up and see a shimmering outline. An Iris message! At first, the reception is quite blurry but soon it clears up. I blink my eyes. Annabeth appears to be kissing someone. I blink. Wait a minute, that boy is Percy! I can't believe it! Well, actually, I can believe it. I mean, it is Annabeth I am talking of here.

I stand up, and I begin to walk away from the place I have been sitting by, for at least four hours at the very least. I acted so impulsively and angrily that I walk miles away from my previous position next to the sea. My mind is searching for possibilities, unbeknownst to me and all of a sudden, I decide to find Percy. Now, I know that I cannot trust Annabeth and any other girls beside my sisters; I am going to try my best to find Annabeth. I am not certain what I will do when I find him, but I can tell you that it won't be pretty.

I ask my father for transport. I don't say why, but he can probably tell anyway, because I know he is unhappy with me, when he sends me the most pathetic excuse for a motorbike (still impressive, by anyone else's standards) ever. I hop on the motorbike. I realise when I got on the motorbike, my arms and legs appeared to lengthen. I can't see in this light, but I can tell that my eyes have widened in surprise. I can also tell that I have appeared to mature, so no cop would stop me for a license. Cool, this motorbike is magic, I think. I look in the little compartment and find a bag full of essentials such as food, water and first aid equipment. I also find a license in the space next to the bag, just in case, I am stopped. I put my new electric sword in the bag as well.

I put on my helmet, which just materialised next to me. I place my foot on the brake and I turn the keys in the ignition. I rev the motorbike and I drive off into the night.

I drive on and on until I am so tired I couldn't possibly drive on any longer, which isn't that long, because now the adrenalin has worn off. I get off the bike and I look around carefully. Somewhere to my left, I hear a branch crunching beneath someone's feet.

This someone is, judging by the sound, at least two hundred pounds and breathing very loudly. Wait a minute, I turn slowly around and when I realise that someone is standing right behind me with a maniacal look in its eyes, I run back towards the motorbike with the deathly creature in hot pursuit. I search the compartment, rummaging and trying to find my trusty sword. The creature jumps on me and just as I reach for the sword, the beast releases its grasp on me. The beast stops breathing and I look around in confusion.

My sword was lying limply by my hand. If I didn't kill him, who did? An arm reaches out of nowhere and shoves the dead beast off me. This arm is long and tanned. I trail my eyes up from that arm up to the shoulder, collarbone until I reach that person's face. The person is a boy, a very attractive boy, if I may say so without me being scorned at. The boy had brown eyes, freckled yet slightly tanned face, a wide smile, perfectly, straight teeth and brown, thick, ruffled hair.

The boy smiles at me and holds a hand out for me. I refuse, because he already killed the beast. I am not going to degrade myself further. I am not some damsel in distress. I can take care of myself perfectly fine, thank you very much. I do smile at him though.

I open my mouth and say, "Thanks," in a rather annoyed tone.

The boy's smile turns upside down and then he says to me, "Fine, don't be grateful that I saved you."

I find this very unfair and I say so.

"It isn't that I don't appreciate that you 'saved' me, I would just have preferred to kill that vile beast myself."

"Well, you are obviously a daughter of Ares."

I scowl at him and this seems to make him happy somehow, so my scowl deepens, while his smirk widens.

"My name is Clarisse de la Rue and I would like to be treated with respect, thank you very much."

"My name is Dylan Crowley and I am a son of Poseidon." He smirks. I scowl. This is becoming strange, like we have known each other all our lives. Then, it dawns on me.

"Wait, you are a son of Poseidon?"

"That's what I said."

"How did you manage to survive so long? You have a brother."

"I managed to survive by luck. I have a brother? That is news to me."

"Yes, he is my boyfriend. Or, at least he was," I say, with as much anger I can muster (which is a lot).

"Oh, I don't like the sound of that."

I realise, then that his accent his strangely sexy.

"Hey, where are you from?"

"I am from County Cork, Ireland."

"Wow, you are from Ireland! That is so cool! Is it true you all live on farms?"

"That is about as stereotypical as saying all Americans are fat!" he says, getting angry all of a sudden.

I felt stupid for asking and my pride was hurt by him saying that all Americans are fat.

"Look, I didn't call you fat. I just said it was a stereotype. I have had to deal with multiple stereotypes myself being Irish, so I would be one of the last to stereotype. You are anything but fat," he tells me.

I can feel myself blushing. All I can say is thank Ares, it is pitch dark.

"Thanks, I didn't mean to insult you, if I did."

He turns to look at me and for the first time I see his full profile. Wow...he is well built and so, so tall. He is like six foot four, at the very least. "Thank," he says, "sorry, if I hurt you."

We talk and talk and I completely forget about Percy until I eventually fell asleep on Dylan's shoulder. I immediately feel guilty but then shrug and say to myself," He hurt me." Then, I fall back asleep and sleep soundly for the first time in ages (which really means four days).

**Please review and be honest. I love to hear your opinions. I know I haven't updated a chapter in a while but please don't let that deter you from reviewing ;) I am sorry, if the story seems a little inconsistent. It is just that I amso unused to updating a chapter for this story. I will update after I get reviews (sorry if that seems unreasonable). So after reading, could you please, if possible, could you review? *does puppy dog eyes* Thanks.**


	9. Bitch

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.**

I woke up abruptly. I close my eyes, but immediately open them again. I blink in the harsh sunlight. Where am I? I think to myself. Then, the night's events all come back to me. I was angry after seeing the Iris message, in which Annabeth and Percy were making out like crazy. After, seeing that horrible scene, I acted impulsively as usual and drove off into the night, on a hunt to find Percy. It suddenly occurs to me that I am laying on somebody's shoulders. Shoulders that is hard and muscular. I remember Dylan then. I jump up off the ground. I woke Dylan up in the process. He wakes up and scowls at me.

"Come on, we have to get a move on it. The day is long and we need to make it as far as we can," I say.

"How do you know I am going in the same direction as you?"

I raise my eyebrow at him. "Well, you don't know where Camp Half-Blood is and I will bring you there after I complete my self-appointed mission."

He smirks at me. "Are you blackmailing me?"

"Yes, I am. Now, come on, we are losing daylight."

Dylan looks down at his watch. "Are you kidding me? It is only six am. Why are we up so early?" he complains.

My face softens at the childish tone and I can't quite believe it when, all of a sudden, the next few words come out of my mouth. "All right, you can go back to sleep but we are leaving at seven sharp. Don't complain now." I blush. I can't believe myself. I sounded like my mother, well, before the accident anyway. I feel tears welling up in my eyes and I turn away, embarrassed. I am not known for wearing my heart on my sleeve and I am not going start now at this stage in my life (that makes me sound like I am ninety. I am only fourteen).

Dylan goes back to sleep and I head off, searching for some source of water so I can wash myself. I walk for, what seems like half an hour, but what could only be a matter of minutes. Soon enough, I am all washed and ready to go. Once again, I hear a branch breaking under someone's foot. This time I am ready, I think to myself. I grab my sword and I get into a fighting stance. All at once, something sprints out of the bush. I knock the creature to the ground and I press the sword onto the creature's throat. I realise that I knocked a person to the ground and not just any person. I knocked Dylan to the ground. You know, Dylan is very tall and very muscular. Dylan is visibly confused that I managed to knock him to the ground so aggressively.

"I am a daughter of Ares, remember? It's in my genes to be strong and tough. I can't believe that you forgot that vital piece of information." I smirk at him. "You attempted to surprise a daughter of Ares." I begin to tut him and I shake my head as well.

"It isn't that I forgot, but..." he trails off.

"It is because you forgot you. Now, hurry up. You overslept and we really need to get a move on it, now."

We gather our belongings and then, I hop onto the motorbike. I look at Dylan. He looks back at me, pleadingly. Tough, he is going to have to get used to me riding in the front, I think. He sighs and gets on the motorbike. Our journey is relatively quiet. Well, besides the noise of the motorbike, we haven't said a word to each other in four hours. By the time, it gets dark, we are totally exhausted. We both get off the motorbike. I look around suspiciously. It is oddly quiet. The stars have come out. It is a moonless night tonight. It is completely dark.

"It's very quiet, isn't it?"

Dylan looks at me. "You know, I haven't thought about that. But, now that you say it, it does seem weird." I look back at him. The fear is evident in his face.

"It is going to be all right, okay?"

"I am putting you in danger. I am a son of Poseidon."

"Hello? Are you forgetting something? My boyfriend is a son of Poseidon. He is the reason why I am out here in the wilderness, right now. I am already in danger. I don't care, okay. I just want to find my boyfriend, because...because I miss him." I sprint away from Dylan and I start crying. All the anger has disappeared from my body. I can't believe that I thought Percy cheated on me. I am the worst girlfriend ever. I rub my hand furiously against my face. This is becoming too much of a routine, now. I have to stop crying and just look for Percy. I am filled with a new determination to find Percy.

I return to the clearing where Dylan is frantically pacing to and fro. I take a step towards Dylan. Dylan pauses in his pacing and says, "Clarisse, are you there?"

"Yes, I am here. I am sorry I stormed off on you."

He brings a hand to his head and pushes his hair out of his eyes. "Look, Clarisse, it is fine. It was my fault. Do you want to be friends and stop arguing like this?"

I glance at him, just to make sure he is being serious. Oh yeah, he is being serious all right. He is like earnest with a capital E, A, R, N, E, S and T. "Sure." Dylan extends his hand and I stare at it for a while before shaking it. "Friends," we say in unison.

This time, we get into our sleeping bags and fall asleep almost immediately. I am so exhausted, I think and before I can think of anything else, I am out for the count.

I wake up when some animal appears to be licking my face. I giggle and open my eyes for a minute. The next minute, my eyes are open and I realise that there is about ten raccoons raiding our food store. My stomach grumbles. Oh no, they don't. I scream at Dylan to wake up. When Dylan is finally alert enough to have coherent thoughts, I slap at his face to further awaken him. "Dylan, we are being attacked by raccoons."

Dylan finally gets up and starts laughing at me. "What?" I ask him. This is not a good start to the day. First, I was awakened by a pack of raccoons. Next, Dylan laughs at me, when I tell him that we are being attacked by said raccoons. Okay, it is not being attacked per say. But still, we are nearly out of food.

"They are just raccoons. They are not going to hurt you, unless you hurt them." Then, he collapses in a fit of giggles. Giggles, I kid you not. I roll my eyes in annoyance.

"That wasn't my point." I cross my arms and sigh. I get up, gather my belongings and jump onto the motorbike, ready for another long, boring day of travelling. "Come on, Dylan."

Okay, I have to admit. I have absolutely no idea where Percy is. I just know that the gate to the Underworld is near to Los Angeles. That is all I have to go on. Meanwhile, Annabeth is probably trying to charm Percy to add another conquest to her already expansive list of boys who love her. Not that I think Percy loves Annabeth. But you never know. Annabeth has this special gift to break up even the longest lasting relationships. That is what I am worrying about. Maybe... no it is a stupid idea.

"Come on, Dylan. We have to go now."

We are both becoming grumpy, having only each other for company. We stop off in the next town for supplies and to see if they have a train station. Believe me, this town is nothing to fight over. It has a population of seven thousand. It only has one train and that is to Houston. I find a map and I am relieved to find that we have travelled much further than I previously thought.

I hug Dylan in happiness. We buy two train tickets with the money I found in my bag. I also found some drachmas. I head over to the miniscule fountain beside the small grocer's. I throw one in and say Percy quietly. I wait. Then, an image appears. Percy is at a gas station standing next to Grover. Annabeth isn't there. I am so happy when I see Percy that I shout out his name. "Percy!"

Percy turns around in confusion. Then, he catches sight of the Iris message. My heart jumps in chest. Percy shouts "Clarisse!" but then Annabeth comes back into the picture, sees the Iris message, grabs Percy and kisses him.

I slash the connection in anger. That bitch!

**Please review and be honest. I love to hear your opinions. I hope this chapter answered some of your questions. Thanks.**


	10. Memories

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. I would just like to say thank you to the people who have reviewed this fanfic so far. You have made me smile and hopefully there will be many more smiles to come :). I really appreciate those of you who took the time to read and review. Next chapter will be Percy's POV.**

I come sprinting back to Dylan with tears streaming down my face. Dylan takes one look at me but before he can ask what is wrong, I drag him towards the train station.

Our train has finally arrived and not a minute too soon. When we reach the train, I realise that we shouldn't have been too excited. It is basically an old cargo truck with a scattering of plastic seats, randomly placed around the carriage. The vehicle was obviously used a train to transport coal, once upon a time. Soot completely covers the ground. I can't see even an inch of the ground.

Annabeth Chase will look like a pile of soot, after I finish with her. Okay, a pile of soot isn't created from that situation, but do you really want to mess with me, at a time like this? You didn't? Great answer. I feel Dylan shiver beside me. I guess my anger was literally radiating off me.

"Come on, tell me what happened," Dylan pleaded.

I just give him a dirty look and he immediately stops talking. We take a seat and sit in silence until the train departs the station. I don't speak until we have pulled into the next station.

"Okay, I am ready to tell you. But, I will only tell you if you leave your questions until the end."

Dylan looks at me earnestly and nods.

"I saw Annabeth throwing herself on my Percy again."

"Again?"

"Yeah, she is like a serial slut. You can't your eyes off her for a minute, without her flirting with one boy or another."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she is like, ten times sluttier than all the Aphrodite girls put together."

"I won't worry about her. From what you have told me about Percy, he would never cheat on you, especially with a girl like that."

Suddenly it dawns on me.

Of course, I knew that Percy wouldn't cheat oon me. But I never thought that I deserved a guy as caring as him until now.

I have had a tough life, what with my mom abandoning me at the first moment she could, leaving me at Camp Half -Blood. My mom was a drug addict.

She was a hooker and worked for sex, but not so I could have at least one meal per week(slight exaggeration, but not by much, I promise. It is actually a pretty good estimate) . She worked to pay for her next fix.

When I was seven, she gave me instructions for me to follow, so I could reach Camp Half-Blood. The directions were written on a condom wrapper. I have lived at Camp ever since. I haven't heard a word from her, since that memorable day.

I always worry, when I think about her. I don't know if she is still alive. I don't know if she has stopped taking the drugs, if she is still alive. Or most importantly, if she is still alive, where is she. When I was with her, she never told me about my dad, Ares. I only found out because the monsters began to torment me.

I had a tough life sure, but that made me tough.

My experiences as a child hardened me.

I have trained myself to never become close to someone, because inevitably they are going to disappoint you.

Of course, that all changed when Percy came along. He changed my perception on life.

Before, I just trained and did little else. When Percy arrived, I began to train less (that it is still a lot by anybody's standards) and be more sociable( wasn't sociable to begin with, so this was easy to improve).

I promised myself, when all the boys in camp started to become attracted to girls, that I would never change who I am just so boys would like me. None of the boys seemed attracted to me, the way I was. I shrugged that off, telling myself, they don't deserve me, anyway. I walked around campus, smirking and bullying people, because I could.

I became bitter. I became miserable. I became the uber-bitch, simply because I could. I wasn't changing myself. I was expressing my feelings. I was showing how pissed off I was. People started to avoid me. I started to avoid them...practically everyone besides my sisters. They knew I was pissed off. They tried to cheer me up. They asked what was wrong. It seems like a reasonable question, doesn't it? Only problem was I didn't know myself what was wrong with me.

I felt like telling myself to get over myself, to get a grip, anything really. I was just so sick of people abandoning me. Well, you live and you learn, you buy a new fern , I suppose.

Percy would never hurt me.

Annabeth, however is a different story. It is like her life's ambition to attempt to hurt me, That is not going to happen.

I hear someone clear their throat beside me. I open my eyes and jump out of the seat. Dylan is looking at me.

"Okay Clarisse, tell me what is going on?"

**I am so sorry that I took this long to update, and that this chapter is short. I love to hear your opinions. I hope this chapter answered some of your questions. Thanks. I am taking this chance now to apologise for how shit this chapter is. Yeah, I am also sorry that it is cliché. Please try to resist the urge to flame, no matter how hard it is to resist. Please read and review :)**


	11. Harassment

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. I would just like to say thank you to the people who have reviewed this fanfic so far. You have made me smile and hopefully there will be many more smiles to come :). I really appreciate those of you who took the time to read and review. Now onto Percy's POV.**

I woke up to screaming. You may think, that I would be used to screaming at this stage (because wherever I go, a brawl practically breaks out, none of which is my fault...well, not all my fault...okay, most of the time the blame falls heavily on my shoulders!), but no I am not used to shrieky girl screaming.

Usually, when I hear screaming, I immediately jump to the conclusion that a monster is coming for me. But, no, not this time. Grover, Annabeth and I have been travelling cross-country for ten days, battling 'mythological' creatures, so we have gotten to know each other very well. Well, Grover and I were already best buds (yeah, I know. I am so uncool, it is almost cool...almost!), so we knew each other pretty well, aside the fact that he was a satyr. That, I did not know. And that would have been pretty convenient to know!

But, every day that drags by, Annabeth gets on my nerves that little bit more. At first, I thought she was hot. Well now, I still she is hot, but her personality is so annoying. She acts like she is the cream of the crop, the top of the tops. And maybe she is, but there is no need to act the way she does.

I rush over to where I heard the screaming and picture my surprise, when I find Annabeth standing in the lake.

"Annabeth, what is wrong? You nearly ruptured my eardrums!"

"Annabeth chooses to ignore what I said about my eardrums, and talks about herself again, in that annoying condescending way, that is typically Annabeth.

"I was just in the lake bathing, when a strange man takes my clothes and ran away, into the forest."

I look over to where she points. If that it what she calls a forest, I weep for humanity. It is a sparse bunch of trees, hardly a forest.

I roll my eyes. She probably hired someone to take her clothes. So, I would have to 'rescue' her.

Unbelievable.

"Come in Percy, the water is nice and warm."

Oh dear Lord! She knows I have a girlfriend! It is enough to make me vomit.

* * *

><p>Funny, how any other teenage boy would love to be in my position. But, this just bores me. I have been dealing with this for the last week, and somehow every day, she moves onto a new form of sexual harassment.<p>

For instance, she grabbed my dick when we were sitting in a diner, while I was ordering food. Well, needless to say, I got hard. It was really uncomfortable, because I was in the middle of ordering my two cheeseburgers, along with my two portions of fries.

The waitress noticed and she just winked at me, and kind of laid on the table.

And I was just sitting there, going don't get harder, Percy, for the sake of your dignity.

Then, my saving grace came. The (female) manager arrived.

"Stop harassing the customers, Janice! Remember what happened last time!"

This is really freaked me out. My mind went into overload and so many questions came onto the forefront of my mind.

What happened last time? Do I want to know? Am I scared? Why am I scared? Why am I so turned on by this? Where is Clarisse when I need her?

Grover comes out of the bathroom and I swear to gods that I have never been so happy to see him. I am always happy to see him.

"Umm...why are you attacking Percy? It is kind of freaking me out! Okay, forget the kind of. I am really freaked out."

Annabeth promptly let's go of my dick and plasters a completely fake smile on her face.

"Why would you think that something is going on, Grover? I was just discussing String Theory with Percy."

"Yeah, because that looked like it."

I have never heard Grover even being slightly sarcastic, so I felt the need to photograph the moment and buy him a chocolate cake.

Later on, when Annabeth leaves to gods know what, Grover gives me a strange look.

"Okay, Percy, tell me what happened."

I have never seen Grover look so serious. I guess, this is a day of firsts.

"Well, after you left to go to the bathroom, the waitress came over and was just innocently ordering my food, when Annabeth just grabs my dick. The waitress practically pounces on me."

Grover obviously was not expecting this, and it is clear by the stunned expression on his face.

"Well, I can't say I didn't notice this kind of nervous tension whenever Annabeth is near you, but I didn't think that she was actually harassing you."

"I just feel so guilty, when I think about Clarisse. Annabeth is constantly trying to feel me up and when I tell her to stop, she just continues."

Grover looks like he is about to burst into tears or peals of laughter.

He laughs.

Come on, I am baring my soul here (not really, slight exaggeration) and he just sits there laughing at me.

"I am sorry Percy, but girls always try to feel you up or flirt with you and you are just there complaining about all the attention you get. Do you know how much I would love to get so much attention from girls? A lot, that is the answer, Percy."

"Grover, are you insane?"

"I am a lot of things, but insane is not one of them."

* * *

><p>"Percy, come on in. The water is nice and warm."<p>

She is getting annoyed, because I have just been standing by the lake side for half an hour.

Suddenly, Annabeth begins to scream again.

"Percy, I am drowning."

"No, you are not. You are not in deep enough to drown."

"Of course, I am. I should know. Who is the genius here?"

"You," I grumble.

She likes to bring that up, at least once an hour. Do you know, when I said earlier on that she is incredibly condescending? Yeah, well I don't know if you notice, but that is one of those moments.

Oh my gods, now I can't see her head anymore. I don't know if that is a good or bad thing.

"Percy, help!"

Yep, it is definitely a good thing. I am just about to run away, when my conscience tells me to rescue her.

Before I left camp, on my mission, I was told by Selena that Annabeth is an extreme feminist. Yeah, I can't see it either.

I appreciate the work of feminism, because my mom raised me as a single parent. This was so difficult for her and she never complained once. With my ADHD and dyslexia, I wasn't the easiest child to raise. I can admit it.

I rush into the water, leaving the waves to propel me forward.

When I finally reach Annabeth, I realise that she is Iris Messaging someone.

She leans into kiss me, and that is when I figure out the identity of the mysterious person.

Clarisse! My heart skips a beat. Clarisse looks at me in disappointment and heartbreak. Annabeth kissed me, unknowingly while I was gazing at Clarisse.

Damn that anyway.

Clarisse slashes the connection, leaving me staring in disbelief at the water, which once formed the Iris Message.

**I love to hear your opinions. I hope this chapter** **answered some of your questions. Thanks. I am taking this chance now to apologise for how shit this chapter is. Yeah, I am also sorry that it is cliché. Please try to resist the urge to flame, no matter how hard it is to resist. Please read and review :) Please, please be honest but at the same time try not to be too insulting! I will make it up to you, I promise! :( Sorry, once more!**


	12. Parental Love

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.**

**I would just like to say thank you to the people who have reviewed this fanfic so far. You have made me smile and hopefully there will be many more smiles to come :). Thanks to mrpuppy who has consistently reviewed every**** single ****chapter.**

**Also, thanks to Princess Annabeth Weasley Fowl :) and Quatuor Temporum alis Nocturna.**

**Thanks to Wow (Guest). Your review made me smile :)**

**Oh, could you please all do me a favour and read 's fanfic Changing Katara's Mind. I recommend this especially if you are a fan of Zutara (if you read Avatar: The Last Airbender fanfics).**

**I really appreciate those of you who took the time to read and review. Now onto Clarisse's POV.**

"Okay, Clarisse, tell me what is going on?"

Do you remember that? Well, I do. It was after I say the Iris Message of Annabeth grabbing Percy, when she sees me. She kisses him in spite.

That happened two days ago, and the moment still replays in my mind.

I know Percy was not happy, because he kept struggling and he looked really uncomfortable, like that time I attacked him with my electric dagger. Oh, it seems so long ago now, that I was determined to hate Percy. How naïve I was back then. And that was only two weeks ago now.

Can you imagine how much I have grown as a person in that short amount of time? Well, I will tell you. Ares is not too fond of Poseidon. And that is putting it kindly. Actually, that is putting it much too kindly.

As a result, we were taught not to be too fond of children of Poseidon. We weren't literally thought. It was like a lesson for us Ares kids. Eighty years ago, before the Second World War, a son of Ares and a daughter of Poseidon were best friends. Over a period of years, they began to have different feelings for each other.

They embark on a mission together to rescue a camper who has been kidnapped by Hades (Nobody knows why Hades kidnapped that lone camper, but rumour has it that the camper badly injured Hades' favourite daughter in a play fight. However, no one is certain and nobody at camp is stupid enough to believe that rumour).

Hades is supposedly extremely pissed off, that someone dared to even scratch his precious daughter. He gave that particular child the best of everything. As a result., she was a total daddy's girl.

She was extremely beautiful and rivalled, even the Aphrodite girls.

The person who injured her was a son of Ares. Before this accident, the gods weren't aware of their relationship. Afterwards, the god of the Underworld became irate and Poseidon sided with Hades, as did Zeus.

By this time, the couple had fallen in love, but that didn't matter. The Big Three had made their decision together, and when they ,make a decision together, they will never change their mind. They are stubborn old goats. I hear a rumble of thunder in the distance.

"Alright, I get it, keep what little hair you have on your head!"

Oh, that was the wrong thing to say. Promptly, I am hit with a bolt of lightning. Well, that was painful.

I just about manage to stand up straight. Zeus didn't mean to injure me badly, so it was quite a light voltage for him. But still, it hurt.

Dylan was in the store, buying supplies for our journey with the stash of dollars I found in my backpack. He rushes back to me, after the lightening hits me. He makes it back just in time. I have a very high threshold of pain, but that was fucking painful!

As I said, I told Dylan everything that happened when I saw the kiss between Percy and Annabeth. Or, you could say, attempted maul.

Dylan is so easy to talk to. He is really laidback and his Irish accent is gorgeous.

He is my best friend. I haven't known him for long, but we have so much in common, the same sense of humour and everything.

I turn around. Dylan is standing behind me, looking pensive.

"What is wrong, Dylan?"

"Nothing, I am just thinking."

"Well, stop it, it doesn't suit you." I don't know where that came from. I hope he isn't offended.

Dylan bursts out into fits of laughter. Okay, well, he isn't offended, unless that is his unique way of showing it.

"I haven't heard that one before."

"You are so welcome, Dylan."

The sound of a motorbike captures my attention. It isn't the sound of a normal motorbike. It is larger than life, and everyone turns to look at the giant, red, gorgeous motorbike that pulls in and quickly breaks next to me.

"Clarisse, what brings you here?"

The person wearing the flash motorbike protective gear (that does not roll off the tongue!) is my dad.

My dad gets off the motorbike, slowly, flexing his muscles for the ladies who suddenly surround him.

Oh dad, you are so embarrassing.

He takes off his sunglasses and I kid you not, two different women swoon at the sight and actually faint. Have you no respect?!

He winks at me.

"Clarisse, I think we need to catch up. I haven't seen you in quite a while."

The last time I saw him was six months ago, during the visit to Mount Olympus on the Winter Solstice. So, this visit is well over-due.

"So, how is my favourite daughter?"

"Very good, thanks dad for asking."

If you think our conversation is stilted, you would be right. It isn't that I don't love him, but I am conflicted. I haven't seen him in six months and suddenly he turns up out of the blue, completely unexpected and starts a casual conversation.

"Come on, Clarisse, let's go and have breakfast at the waffle place near the station.

I wonder how he knows about the waffle place, when he only arrived here literally two minutes ago, but remember that he has a brilliant sense of smell. I mean, one time, he smelled a barbeque that was happening ten miles away.

Then, my dad notices Dylan.

"And you can bring the Sea Spawn with you."

My dad begins to chortle, while I bristle.

"Dad, please don't be nasty. You have only just met the poor boy."

"I can smell the stench off the sea, on him from here."

Dylan is beginning to look really uncomfortable. He is too far away, to hear what my dad is saying about him, but he can tell from the expression on my face that it isn't pleasant.

"Tell the boy to come over here."

I turn my head away from dad.

"Dylan, come over here." As if, actually saying it wasn't enough, I motion to Dylan to come over with my hand also.

He quickly saunters over to us. Clearly, he is slightly afraid of my dad.

"Hello, sir."

My dad laughs. Dylan looks perplexed.

"I have been called a lot of names, but never in my many centuries on earth, have I been called sir. I think I am going to like you, if you continue to call me sir."

Dylan relaxes and soon he is laughing with my dad. I didn't see that coming at all.

We walk over to the waffle shop, where my dad and Dylan proceed to eat waffles at a competitive pace. Boys, they are all the same, regardless of their status, I suppose. I can't believe that I am going to say this, but I actually had fun. We laugh and joke and generally have a great time. When our train pulls into the station, before we can say a word, my dad puts his hand up to prevent us from saying anything.

"I will drive you to where Percy is."

How does my dad know? I am about to completely freak the freak out, when my dad gives me a knowing look.

"Do you think your old dad wouldn't know something important like this?"

"Aren't you mad?"

"Clarisse, I have learnt my lesson. That is one thing the thirties have taught me. Well, besides the fact, that I need to control my consumption of alcohol. I need to listen to my children. I know that I seem like a tough guy, but I love you all, even if I don't show it. All of us gods, love our children immensely. It kills us that we don't get to see you as often as we should. If it really makes you happy, to be with Perseus Jackson, then be with him. Okay, Clarisse?"

I am shocked. My dad has never, ever acted like this before. He always seemed so tough and untouchable. Now that he has showed a hint of vulnerability, he seems more human. Ironic, isn't it? A god who is human?

I give my dad a big hug. At first, he seems a bit uptight and frankly shocked, that I had the audacity to hug him, but then he relaxes and hugs me tighter.

When we pull back, it is on mutual terms. Dylan flashes me a smile and me, being the happy soul that I am, gives him a smile also.

The motorbike doesn't seem large enough to fit all three of us (even though, frankly the motorbike is big enough to fit a Minotaur onto it) including our backpacks', but the motorbike increases in size, when Dylan and I hop on the back.

"Are you ready, kids? Keep your limbs inside the moving vehicle. Okay, let's leave."

Dad kick-starts the motorbike and we zoom off, into the distance.

I am optimistic. My dad approves (well, not approve, so much as accept) our relationship. I have a best friend who understands me, and to quote teenage clichés, at a time I didn't feel like I was being understood.

**I love to hear your opinions. I hope this chapter** **answered some of your questions. Yeah, I am also sorry that it is cliché. Please try to resist the urge to flame, no matter how hard it is to resist. Please read and review :) Please, please be honest but at the same time try not to be too insulting! I will make it up to you, I promise! :( Sorry, once more! Also, please remember to review Changing Katara's Mind. I would really appreciate it :D**


	13. Woah!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.**

**I would just like to say thank you to the people who have reviewed this fanfic so far. You have made me smile and hopefully there will be many more smiles to come :). Thanks to mrpuppy who has consistently reviewed every single chapter.**

**Also, thanks to Yesung'sLittleELF, Quatuor Temporum alis Nocturna and BeautiWind.**

**I really appreciate those of you who took the time to read and review. Now onto Percy's POV.**

"Grover, what are you doing exactly?"

Grover rolls his eyes at what I have to say.

"I always eat tin cans. You know this, Percy. You know how much I love the crunchiness and texture of the cans."

Grover holds his hand out. In the palm of his hand, a battered tin can lies, with more than one, two even three bites taken out of it. This is not the object, that I have a problem with. No, the moment, I walked into the bathroom of the gas station we stopped at, a huge heal pile of tin cans falls on top of. Okay, maybe I am over-exaggerating. Alright, let me rephrase that sentence. A huge, half of a gigantic pile, falls on me, the moment the door eerily opens.

"Grover, have you been collecting all these cans? Now, Grover, there is a line between liking something and an obsession. I think you have just crossed that thin line."

Grover looks longingly at his cans. Goddamnit, now I feel terrible.

"Look, I am sorry Grover. It is just, that Annabeth is majorly freaking me out with her antics. She just can't seem to keep her hands to herself. She doesn't understand the meaning of the word no. I mean, I have a girlfriend. And do you know what she did to me yesterday?"

Grover immediately brightens up.

"There is no need to be sorry, Perce. I know that I have a problem. I can admit that much. Yeah, Annabeth is acting really strangely. Especially, you know the incident that happened two days ago."

Oh yes, the diner incident. When Annabeth grabbed my dick, and the waitress nearly did too. That was just weird and uncomfortable for all of us. Except for Annabeth. I am starting to think, that she has no shame. And the time, where Annabeth pretended to drown, when really she was Iris Messaging Clarisse, so she could see her boyfriend seemingly cheat on her.

But, I would never cheat on Clarisse. I have two major reasons, why I wouldn't cheat on her.

Numero un, je l'aime. That is French for I love her, in case you didn't know. People assume that I am stupid, because I am impulsive and never seem to think about the consequences. I act before I think.

Sometimes, I might be a tad slow, but that doesn't mean that I am stupid. And you are probably thinking, that I am too young to know what love is. I am sixteen. It may not be true love, but it is love. Whether it will last, is a completely different story. All I know is right now, I feel happy with the way my life is, at the moment.

Numéro deux, je suis fidéle. Je ne voudrais pas de tricher. Ce n'est pas mon style. For those of you who can't speak French, I am loyal (that is my fatal flaw. I would save my friends or sacrifice myself to save others. Chiron told me this, before Grover, Annabeth and I set off on our quest, to find the lightning bolt and bring it back to Zeus, before he loses his cool.)

To be honest, we haven't found much of anything, to do with our quest. Mostly, I have been sexually assaulted by Annabeth Chase. She may look all sweet, innocent and oh-so intelligent, but in reality she is so much more than that. **(A/N: Anybody recognise that quote? I altered the words in it. If anybody recognises this, the first one to PM the answer...well, let's just say, they will be rewarded).** In reality, she is a monster. I haven't heard one nice thing come out of her mouth, since the moment we met. She is vicious, she told Grover and I all the mean things that she would do, when she got back to camp. Everybody, at camp, seems to worship her. Except the Ares cabin, of course. And that is because, well...let's just say that Ares and Athena are not the best of buds.

I don't why, she thinks that we would care about her bitchy schemes and her half-assed attempts at comedy, but it is not impressing us. If anything, we are being repulsed by the amount of word vomit (And this?) that seems to emanate from her very being.

I can't wait until this stupid quest is over, so I can escape the monsters that is Annabeth K. Chase **(Do you want to find out, what her middle name is?).** And I swear to the gods, that if she tosses her hair once more, I am going to be thrown over the brink of insanity. And I will never return, because it burns my eyes. I never could stand girls, who are constantly tossing their hair around the place, as if they were in a shampoo commercial or whatever. Especially, when you find hair in your double beef burger, just as you are about to sink your teeth into the juiciness of the succulent beef...Mmmm, just the way I like. **(I apologise to any vegetarians.).** With a little garnish of blonde, curly hair. Of course, I am joking. There is nothing worse than a perfectly good burger being tarnished, by a solitary hair, which belongs to the blonde bimbo **(I apologise to any blondes. I am blonde, so I don't mean offense. Sorry :( )** who has been yapping away beside you for the last two hours.

I am not saying that she is dumb. Of course, she isn't dumb. Her mom is the goddess of Wisdom and Battle Strategy, for crying out loud! What I meant was, that she is acting like a bimbo, which is even worse. I mean, she is obviously not stupid (she is highly intelligent!), but her brain cells just seem to disappear in the presence of a male.

Two days later, after another five beef burgers have been tarnished by that dreaded, solitary hair, I lose my shit. Not literally, I lost my cool, if I had any to lose in the first place.

"Annabeth, could you keep your fucking hair to yourself, instead of tossing it every-fucking-where?! It is getting in my burger. Again!"

Annabeth has this annoying smirk on her face.

"Come on Percy, you know that you can't be mad at me, for long."

Okay, she has completely missed the point. There is really no point fighting with her. I sit down again, and think of Clarisse.

One minute, I am thinking about her. The next, she is sitting beside me and I am staring at her in total bewilderment. And she is not alone. Ares is with her for one. And some random boy who looks like me.

**I am aware that I may have offended various groups of people. I didn't mean to offend you, if you were offended. I love to hear your opinions. I hope this chapter answered some of your questions. Yeah, I am also sorry that it is cliché. Please try to resist the urge to flame, no matter how hard it is to resist. Please read and review :) Please, please be honest but at the same time try not to be too insulting! I will make it up to you, I promise! :( Sorry, once more!**

**..**


	14. FatherDaughter

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.**

**I would just like to say thank you to the people who have reviewed this fanfic so far. You have made me smile and hopefully there will be many more smiles to come :). Thanks to mrpuppy who has consistently reviewed every single chapter.**

**Also, thanks to Yesung'sLittleELF, Quatuor Temporum alis Nocturna, BeautiWind, BookDevourer52.**

**Thanks to WildCitrusSunflower, for the many reviews.**

**A new character will be introduced into the chapter, courtesy of Quatuor Temporum alis Nocturna.**

**I really appreciate those of you who took the time to read and review. Now onto Clarisse's POV.**

This is the most time, that I have ever spent with my dad. Just the thought, makes me want to well up. But, I shake that off. I am not one to cry, at any opportunity. It makes me really happy, that he is spending time with me. This has never happened to me before, or to any of my siblings either.

We race across the vast countryside. We pass by farm after farm, until in the distance tall buildings can be seen. We are near the city. My dad veers to the left, and takes a slip road towards a diner. After acres of luscious green fields, the diner doesn't seem natural. The fading sign, the peeling garish paint, the many cowboy hats strewn around the nearly empty car park, it all screams tacky to the highest heavens. Whoever owns this diner, has no taste whatsoever. I mean, I live in jeans and t-shirts, when I am not dressed in Camp Half-Blood style garb, so I can't say much. But the few people who entering the diner, are dressed head-to-toe in orange clothing.

It is just as well that Silena, head of the Aphrodite cabin, isn't here. She would be fit to collapse, and would probably suffer a heart attack due to the shock. Oh, and did I mention that the very same people donned a cowboy hat on their head? They looked like rejects from a country and western movie. On further inspection of the near-empty parking lot, I realised that the place was filthy.

And I mean, I am not great on personal maintenance. I don't like make-up, it just doesn't feel right to me. Maybe it is something, that I will grow out of. Maybe not. Who knows?

I am tough, and I know it. But this place looks really dodgy. The people look like loppers, like they are high on drugs. Perhaps they are. All I know, is that I am starving and the trash in the garbage bin is looking increasingly appetising. Disgusting.

"Okay, kids. Here we are, the best restaurant in town."

I look at the 'restaurant' again. I think my dad needs to get an eye test. If this is the best restaurant in town, it doesn't inspire much confidence in me. Also, if this is the best restaurant in town, I would hate to see the worst.

"Dad, are you sure that your eyes are not just trying to say, that there is something seriously wrong with them?"

My dad lets out a jolly laugh. Okay, this has not happened before. I have never seen him laugh like this. It is great to see him so relaxed. I begin to laugh as well. Dylan doesn't know what to do, so he begins to laugh as well. It is great, that he is so easy-going. He reminds me of Percy, in his mannerisms and his appearance.

"No, I am being serious. It may not look like much, at all, but the food is really good."

He smiles at me, and I feel so happy all of a sudden. All my life, all I wanted was my dad's approval, and now I have it.

"How much are you willing to bet?"

I am surprised by how cheeky I sound. I think it suits me.

"You would lose that bet. How about twenty dollars?"

"Deal. Shake on it."

We are acting like Hermes himself right now. And I like it.

As we enter the diner, my eye catches a booth in the corner. Is that...Percy?

No, it couldn't be. The boy laughs. Yes, that is my boy. That is Percy. I would know his laugh anywhere, because it is absolutely hilarious.

"Uh...dad?"

Dad looks over at me, he was in the middle of a conversation with Dylan.

"Yes, honey?"

I am getting used to this.

"Percy is over there, in the corner. He is the cute one with the black hair."

"Clarisse, give me some credit. I already knew that!"

I raise my eyebrow, in surprise. He knew? He knew? Did he plan this?

"Uh...Clarisse, I actually did plan all this."

"Really?"

"Clarisse, it hurts me that you don't appreciate my godly qualities. I knew that your boyfriend was here. I just want you to be happy. Oh, and Aphrodite wanted me to tell you, that Percy would never cheat on you. Which is reassuring, that I won't have to kill him."

"Oh father, what a jolly fellow you are. It is all rainbows and kittens, when you are around."

My dad laughs again. I don't know where this sudden wittiness is coming from, but it is delighting me. I always wanted to be funny. And, now I am. Possibly.

"I want you to introduce me to your boyfriend. I need to tell him, that if puts a foot out of line, he is going to wish that he were dead."

"Oh dad, so playful. Like a puppy."

I stride across the diner. I can't wait to talk to him. I haven't seen him in two weeks.

"Percy."

I watch as Percy looks around the diner in confusion. Then, he notices me. He begins to smile. He looks ridiculous. I imagine that I look exactly like him, right now.

I lean in to kiss Percy, but I am prevented when my dad says in a booming voice, what he thinks about this recent development.

"Clarisse, Percy, please. I need to speak to the both of you. I would prefer not to have the visual."

Dad! Oh my god, dads are so embarrassing.

"Hello?"

Who is that? Everyone searches for the voice.

"Oh! I am sorry. I forgot that you can't see me. You see, my dad is the god of sun. I can control the light, and you can't see me because I manipulated the light so that I would become invisible."

By the end of her sentence, a girl becomes visible again. Her choppy black hair is falling into her eyes. The ends are dyed sky blue. How nice. Her eyes are the colour of emeralds. She is wearing a smile upon her face.

"My name is Raven Zinn."

**I love to hear your opinions. I hope this chapter answered some of your questions. Yeah, I am also sorry that it is cliché. Please try to resist the urge to flame, no matter how hard it is to resist. Please read and review :) Please, please be honest. I will make it up to you, I promise! :( Sorry, once more!**

**Quatuor Temporum alis Nocturna, I hope that I did your character justice. :D**


	15. Reunion

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson.**

**Thanks to Princess Annabeth Weasley Fowl, VERO THE SILENT ASSASSIN, Lyra daughter and heir o Chaos, Mookeypoop, .16, 666jazzy, stupidheroine, Randomness (Dylan, she will be paired with Dylan), Grammar41Nazi, BookDevourer52, Quatuor, and mr puppy .**

Now, it is my turn to question Clarisse. I mean, wouldn't you question your girlfriend or boyfriend or whatever you go for, if they were to show up in the same diner you are in, with another person, who isn't ugly, and who happens to be quite attractive, at least according to Annabeth's reaction. Now, that is hilarious. She is twisting her hair around her fingers, like a seven year old. For such a brainiac, she can be really dim. And I mean that in the nicest possible way.

I am sure that she is a good person underneath all that. But she is trying to be someone that she isn't. She isn't a daughter of Aphrodite, she is a daughter of Athena. She should act like it, and leave the antics to the Aphrodite girls. And I am not targeting the Aphrodite girls without warrant. I mean, they are lovely, once you get to know them. They just love boys a lot. And love, they really like love. That is the understatement of the century.

I feel sorry for Annabeth now. I don't know, what is about Clarisse's presence, that makes me suddenly feel for the girl who has been sexually harassing me, for the past few days.

I watch as Annabeth shamelessly flirts with the still unknown boy. Oh yes, I have yet to figure out the identity of this boy, and it really is twisting me the wrong way. Not there kiss a good way to be twisted.

The boy is looking at Raven again. Interesting.

"So, Clarisse care to explain? How come you show up with this boy?"

"Oh, is Percy jealous?"

Actually, good point, I am jealous. I didn't realise that I was being that obvious about it. Apparently so. Looking at Clarisse's smile, I realise that I am more jealous, than I ever thought I would be. I am beginning to get nervous. She isn't answering me. Come on, Clarisse, don't leave me hanging in suspense. That is all well and good, if you are reading a book, but this is reality, and can't help but think, maybe this boy likes Clarisse.

I trust Clarisse, I really do. It is this boy that I don't trust.

Instead of Clarisse answering, the boy responds me to my question.

"I am Dylan, I am your brother."

Well, that was unexpected, to say the least. Not in a million years, could I have guessed that. Well, now that I think about it, he does look like my dad and I. You know, the standard Poseidon looks. Black, shaggy hair and green eyes. He is also tall, around my height and I am very tall. I am six foot. And he doesn't look that much shorter to me.

For a minute, everyone in the diner seem to tense their muscles, as if expecting a brawl. Inwardly, I smile. They sure are going to be surprised at my reaction. Practically nothing these days can phase me. I guess, that is what happens, when you find out that you are a son of Poseidon.

"I am Percy. I always wanted a brother."

And then I proceed to walk towards him. My brother. I give him a friendly slap on the back.

"That is an interesting accent. Where are you from?"

"Oh, I am from Cork, Ireland. I live near Kinsale."

Now that would be useless information to anyone else, but I am a son of Poseidon, so even though I haven't been to Kinsale, I can visualise. A fishing village not too far from Cork City. I suppose you could call it pretty or quaint, but obviously I am more focused on the water sports there.

"You have to take me there sometime."

Dylan looks surprised, but it doesn't take for his look of confusion to clear from his face. The seemingly ever-present smile returns. And I would be smiling all the time as well, if I had a smile like that.

He seems to notice me looking, and laughs at my expression.

"My mom is an orthodontist."

"I think we are going to get along."

That didn't have any connection,with what we were talking about, and it didn't seem to matter. I always wanted a brother, or a sister. A brother who I can fight with. Or a sister, who can I defend and teach her karate or something, because I wouldn't want boys to leer at her.

"Dylan, I will be back in a while. I just need to speak to someone"

Dyaln looks over at Clarisse, and nods in understanding.

"So you are the boy who broke my daughter's spear, and then became her boyfriend."

It is not a question, it is more like a statement. Okay Ares, you made your point.

"Yes sir, that would be correct."

"Oh, the boy is hilarious. He calls me sir. Nobody calls me sir. I don't like it."

He is making this way more difficult, than it should be. He doesn't seem angry, more amused. Great, he is trying to make this awkward on purpose.

"Boy, if you ever break my Clarisse's heart, you will know all about it."

He points his spear at my crotch. As if by instinct, I cross my legs and gulp.

Ares laughs uproariously at my reaction. Well, I am glad that I am amusing someone. My life wouldn't be complete otherwise.

"Is that clear boy? Remember that I will always be watching you. If you put one toe out of line, I will be there to sever from your body."

Does that sound creepy to anyone? Especially the, 'I will always be watching you' bit, and the severing. I don't like severing, personally. It tends to hurt.

Clarisse pipes up. She has been suppressing laughter all this time. Well, it is great to see that you can depend on your girlfriend.

"Oh Dad, you are so funny."

Ares looks at her.

"I know, darling."

And they both laugh like maniacs, while I stare them at in bewilderment.

I don't feel comfortable. Clarisse seems to sense this, and steps towards me. All of a sudden, I have this desperate urge to kiss her senseless. I will probably have to keep it PG-12, because her dad is standing right next to me. After debating for a few minutes, I just go with my natural instinct.

I kiss her. She doesn't expect, and that just makes it better. I like to be spontaneous, and I have achieved just that.

She gets into the kiss as well, and when I bite her lip slightly, she opens her mouth. Our tongues are dancing. I know that sounds horrible, and believe me I am cringing. But there is no other way to say it. I suppose that we will get better in time. After all, this is our first real kiss. Our actual real kiss was more of a peck, than anything else.

When we break apart, Ares is glaring daggers at me. It isn't a nice place to be. I feel endangered. Raven shows up, just before Ares chews me out of it.

"Uh, guys…"

"Yes Raven, what is it?"

Wow, that sounded clipped even to me. Raven looks taken aback, but quickly shakes it off.

"We are being chased by monsters. I will tell you why I am here. You see, my mom is a monster hunter."

"So, she is a demi-god?"

"Oh, god, no. She is a human, but she can see beyond the Mist. And right now, she can see a whole army of monsters about two miles away. Percy?"

"Yes?"

"We need to make a run for it. Now."

"Thanks for stating the obvious. Raven, you can manipulate the light?"

"Yes."

"Could you do that for all of us?"

Raven looks unsure.

"I have never tried that, with so much people."

I sigh. It doesn't matter. We can stay and fight. After all, Ares is with us. And he wouldn't be pleased, if we ran away from a fight.

Everybody is looking at me. Since when did I become the leader?

"We are going to stay and fight."

Annabeth looks uncertain. I don't know what for. Dylan looks confident. Raven looks scared, if determined. Clarisse looks powerful, just like her dad. And I am certain, we can defeat the beasts.

**Please read and review. Wow! 84 reviews!**

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**You are all much too kind! Thank you so much!**

**Quatuor, I hope you like the way your character is portrayed. I am sorry, that her role wasn't too big in this chapter. In the coming chapters, she will be a main character. And she will be paired with Dylan.**

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	16. War

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson.**

**Thanks to Of Cyanide and Suicide, BookDevourer52, Mookeypoop, VERO THE SILENT ASSASSIN, 666jazzy, Quatuor (I am sorry that Raven wasn't a big part of this chapter! :( ), Lyra daughter and heir o Chaos, mrpuppy and Sorry that username is taken for your reviews.**

I look at the people I now call my friends, with the possible exception of one Annabeth Chase. I mean, she did try to fuck my boyfriend, or at least that is what it looked like.

Even though it is a bright summers day outside, a shiver shoots up my spine.

That day, only a week and a few days ago now, I saw more of Annabeth, than I ever wanted to see. The day, that I got the Iris Message from Percy, or who I thought was Percy. She was wearing the skimpiest bikini ever. It was grotesque. I mean, cover up girl, don't you have any self-respect.

I don't forgive people. That is my fatal flaw. I am stubborn, just like my dad and my siblings. Most of the time, it isn't a good trait, but what can you do. And I am most certainly not going to forgive the girl, who tries to seduce my boyfriend. I mean, it isn't like she is incapable of getting her own boyfriend, so why must she steal mine.

I feel content, for a brief moment. Then Annabeth opens her mouth. And my moment is ruined forever.

Grover elbows me, and I elbow him in response. Grover is one of the few people I got on with, before Percy arrived.

"So, what was she like?"

Grover rolls his brown eyes in total exasperation.

"She flirted with Percy the whole time, and ignored me. I felt so loved."

I love Grover's sense of humour. I really do. He gets me, and how much I detest Annabeth.

"Oh ignore her. You know what a bitch she is. Remember last year, during the second Capture the Flag. She shaved all the satyrs, and none of you told Chiron, because she told you that you will be rewarded."

"But we were never rewarded. And we were bald."

Grover shivers. It was a hard time for him especially, because his horns hadn't probably grown in, so everybody ridiculed him the most. I am maybe controversial, but I am not mean. I don't laugh at other people's misfortunes, especially when they did nothing to deserve that horrible treatment.

"And your hair didn't grow back until December, and you got pneumonia."

He was sick for three weeks, completely missing Christmas. He was too sick to join in on the celebrations. And Annabeth smirked. Grover was too afraid to tell Chiron. You couldn't blame him really.

Annabeth likes to torment Grover. She has been like this since her first day of camp. She arrived at camp two years, after I did. Grover and I were childhood best friends. We are still friends.

The first day she arrived, she claimed to be allergic to satyrs. Cheek, he was trying his best to save Luke, Thalia and Annabeth. His mission to save Thalia was so important to him, for obvious reasons, and he went into depression after she was turned into the pine tree.

Whenever things go wrong for Grover, Annabeth always seems to be present to witness his humiliation. Either that, or she is the cause of his impatience. She is a mean girl. She rivals Regina from Mean Girls.

Yeah, so I have seen Mean Girls and what is your problem? Mean Girls is like the teen movie of the generation. I maybe a tomboy, but that does not disable me from watching teen comedy movies. If anything, I watch them with even more relish.

"Clarisse?"

"Yes, Grover? Are you alright?"

Grover smiles sadly, and my heart breaks for him. I want to make him feel better about himself. In the last few years, his self-esteem has really suffered. Annabeth is, and forever will be the cause of his problems.

"It is nothing, Clara."

I smile at the use of my childhood nickname. I haven't heard it in so long. When I was younger, neither Grover and I could pronounce my name, so we had it 'legally' shortened to Clara. This basically meant, that Chiron threw a small part in honour of my new name. It didn't last long though, because we were growing up, and eventually we could both pronounce my name.

I was terribly shy, when I was younger. Hence my terrible childhood, with my terrible drug-addled mother. It was no longer possible for me to stay with her. My bones were sticking out from my body from lack of food. My eyes were sunken. Overall, I looked very sick.

The day the monsters came for me, my mom barely tried to defend me.

"Clarisse, just leave. I am sick of the sight of you. I didn't even want you. Do you see what you have done to me? You are the reason I am like this."

As you can see, she was a lovely person. She really was. She really loved me as well. Our relationship was fantastic. One time, she nearly forced me to take drugs.

Luckily, the Social Services came and took me away from her. I was lucky. However, three months later, I returned to the comfort of my mother's arms, in the hospital.

Once I reached camp, my life turned 360, and eventually, I grew more confident.

When Annabeth arrived at camp two years later, my confidence was phenomenal. Nothing could phase me. Not even a little bitch like her.

I had dealt with too much already in my short life, to be phased much, when someone like her showed up at camp. I was tough at the tender age of eight. Grover was like my little brother. Except, he was older than me, and he was a satyr. I defended him like a sibling though. I still would without a second thought.

"Are you sure you are alright?"

"Yes, Clara. I am fine now. At least someone cares about me."

"That isn't true. Percy cares about you."

"Well, besides you and Percy."

"Oh Grover, you are amazing. You are such a strong person. You are better than Annabeth can aspire to be."

I hug him, and he hobbles off onto his next big adventure. No, I am totally kidding. He is going over to keep Annabeth a run for her money. Just like I raised him to. I feel so proud. He is like my son, except he is older than me, and he is like my baby brother.

Now, methinks it is time for some Perisse time. Alright, I have spending way too much time with Silena. That reminds me, when we get back to camp, I need to make up with Silena. We can be friends. I was too harsh with her. She is genuinely a nice person.

I block Percy's eyes with my hands. I know that is the most cliché cliché, but I have never used it. I want to know what it feels like. Suddenly, I feel the corners of Percy's lips curl. He is smirking. I will give him something to smirk about.

I kiss his neck slowly. I feel him tense. Good, he is surprised. I like that. I leave a love bite on his neck. I don't know why more girls don't do it, it feels awesome.

Percy turns around.

"Now Madame, my turn."

Is it wrong of me to swoon? But that was seriously hot! I never knew he could be so suave. I always claim to be a feminist. But I can still be a feminist, and enjoy this right? Please say yes! I won't be happy, if this has to stop.

Percy surprises me again. He kisses me roughly on the mouth, and I kiss him back. This is war! Much like the mini war, we will have in a few minutes. But this is much more fun, and satisfying!

I hook my legs up against his waist, in the spur of the moment. I feel Percy grow hard against me. I blush beetroot red.

I hear a collective clearing of throats. Hey guys, you should get that checked out. I am pretty sure that there is a cure for it.

Shit! I forgot. My dad is looking at Percy and I kissing like convicts. He isn't going to be happy with Percy!

I break apart from the kiss to whisper in Percy's ear.

"Percy, run! My dad is going to kill you!"

After an amusing few minutes of watching my dad chase Percy, I step out. It is time for battle, and they are chasing each other, like children. Okay granted, I am mainly the reason why they are chasing each other.

I hear a stampede. Raven doesn't look too happy.

"It is time for the battle!" her mom shouts.

Really, I thought it was Grover's four stomachs.

As we watch the monsters race towards us, we sigh in collective apprehension. Damn, we got ourselves in a jam.

Grover raises his hand.

"Yes Grover? You are not in school, you know."

"I think that I wet myself."

Well, this is embarrassing.

"Carry on soldier!"

Way to go, dad, always the man to go in a panic.

**This chapter was more humourous than anything else. I hope that you enjoyed reading it. Please read and review :D**


	17. Dividing

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson.**

**Thanks to Of Cyanide and Suicide, blackstar124, Olympia5000, Ringmasterization, VERO THE SILENT ASSASSIN, Rainbow and Sunshine, BookdDevourer52, Mookeypoop, EnglandBabe1997, Winter Buzz, Quatuor and mrpuppy.**

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Oh Grover, once the comic relief, always the comic relief. Somethings never change, and thank gods for that, because so much has changed in my life over the past few weeks. It is great to have someone to rely on. Reliance is a great thing these days, you never know when you have to depart on a dangerous mission, to retrieve a powerful object of the King God's, that you didn't even realise existed, until a couple of weeks ago.

But we don't have time for comic relief, as sad as that is( comic relief is what makes the world go round, after all), we need to defeat the monsters before they reach the diner.

The diner is packed with people, who are on road trips. They are not going to be able the monsters, but they will see stuff which will frighten the beejeezus out of them. They smell pretty funky, but I guess that is the consequence of travelling in an RV, most of which do not contain a shower. The parking lot contains mostly RVs, so it is great if you need to hide. We need all the hiding spots we can get, in case somebody falls in battle. I hope that won't happen, but it is the reality of fights. People tend to get hurt.

Looking at these monsters, I can see that this won't be an easy feat. I say bring it on. We can take them.

As in slow-motion, the monsters trudge towards us slowly, as slow as my great-aunt Jenny. And she is slow. She is ninety seven years old, so she is pretty old, pretty being an understatement. She is half- blind, and I think she is deaf. She is very confused. I stayed with her once, and she mixed the toilet plunger with the potato masher. Don't ask me how, but every time since, I claim to be stuffed, so as to avoid any potential stomach bombs. And those are nasty.

Every time, I eat something utterly repulsive, I remember Great-Aunt Jenny's food, and screw my face up in disgust. My mom always told me to smile, because if the wind were to change, my face would be stuck in the like that. And that made me stop, because I had no desire to have my face, reflecting my thoughts when I ate my great-aunts food. The world just isn't ready for that kind of shit. Pardon mon francais.

My anger at my mom dying, fuels my rage and I become more powerful. The nearby lake isn't too bad either.

The monsters range from big to small, but all are equally dangerous. You have your chimeras, your furies, your harpies…pretty much every monster you can think of. Well, at least, they didn't leave anybody out, because we wouldn't want that. We wouldn't them to have a weakest link amongst them, that much is sure. We wouldn't want them to lose.

We are going to have to combine our strengths, to defeat them all. This is going to be hard, but I know we are more than capable of handling this rag-tag bunch of monsters.

It kind of reminds me of the lunchtime scene, at my old school. The furies are like the popular people, they love attention and their egos are inflated. They just have to have the latest accessory, and more often than not, wheedle their parents into buying them for their little darling. Most of the time, they aren't a darling, they are more like Hades in disguise.

The chimeras are like the nerds of society, however much they try otherwise, they will always be the lovable nerds, except without the lovable. They are the intelligent ones, they measure their strengths against our weaknesses, and bet on the likelihood, using algebraic equations. We are probably the constants, and they are the variables. That is basically the extent of my mathematical knowledge. And, I am boring myself. Not a good sign.

And the harpies… I don't know how to categorise them. They are somewhere in the middle. They are the rebels. They are on the outskirts of society. People tend to avoid them. Well, would you really blame them? They are hated, like all monsters, but even within their circle of friends, they are hated. Even by monster standards, they are hated. They are slackers, they don't do homework (neither do I, am I a bad boy?), they skip school, and do everything possible, that they shouldn't do. Overall, they are pretty well-rounded in their hatred.

Now, enough with the contemplating, leave that for the Athena kids, it is time for war. I crack my knuckles in trepidation, and remove Riptide from my pocket. I am ready. No one can stop me now.

"Charge, you morons!"

I am shocked, to hear how authoritative I sound. I think I like it. Apparently, I get pretty aggressive, in times of stress and battle. Well, this is new to me. I am going to use this to my advantage. My instincts kick in, and I sink Riptide into the throat of a Sphinx. Promptly, it bursts into dust. That seemed too easy. Where is the challenge? Alright one down, hundred more to go. I lose track of time, as I defeat yet another Sphinx, with a wound to the neck.

Apparently, Zeus wants to punish me, for getting cocky, because before I can even think of blinking, I find myself sprawled on the cold, hard ground, with a harpy on me.

Okay, time to get off my ass. Your break is over, Jackson, I think to myself. Come on, kill those nasty freakshows, who kind of look like Side Show Bob, if Side Show Bob had numerous arms and other hindrances. It doesn't surprise me, to be honest.

I brutally kill the harpy, that caught me unawares and cocky. Okay Zeus, I get it. You don't like it, when I am cocky. I understand. Just stop these monsters climbing on me.

Half blinded, because there is a monster covering my eyes, I lash out and moments later, I blink and sigh in relief at the platoon of dead monsters lying serenely at my feet. Well, they would be serene, if they were dead.

Now, onto the grand finale.

I raise my hands, and the water rises to an impressive height. I realise that Dylan has caught onto my plan. I wink at him, and we further raise our hands. When we drop them again, the water moves rapidly, killing our rivals and leaving us feeling pretty self-satisfied.

"The both of you, have impressive control of your powers. Well done. I am happy to serve you."

Is that Raven's mom? I haven't heard her speak much. Now, I know why. She is kind of creepy, to be quite frank. Creepy, in the nicest possible way, of course, I don't want to insult her.

I don't know what to say. I am at a loss for words.

"Thanks, I guess."

"Oh, you estimate that you are good?"

"Well, anyway, I think it is safe to say that we did pretty darn well out there."

"Uh, Percy?"

"Yeah, Raven?"

"There is a monster behind you."

The harpy taps me on the shoulder.

"I thought that I told you to leave me alone."

And then I promptly kill the harpy, with a blow to the head.

I dust my hands off.

"There, that is it."

"You spoke a little too late again, Percy."

"Raven, I am pretty sure that they are all dead."

"Nope, still one more."

I swear to the gods, that girl loves proving me wrong. And we have only known each other an hour, at the most.

I kick the offending monster, and promptly begin to kiss Clarisse with as much passion as I can muster, which is apparently a lot, because I am still seething with rage.

Dylan apparently sees this as an opportunity to chat up Raven. And it isn't like Raven is protesting, she actually seems to enjoy it.

While I am kissing Clarisse, Raven kisses Dylan on the cheek, and Dylan converts it from cheek to lips. Oh, that cheeky little devil! He has so much tricks! He is like a puppy at a dog show.

Raven breaks apart blushing, and Dylan throws his arm around Raven. Raven's cheeks turn an increasingly dangerous shade of red.

Mmm, I love kissing Clarisse. Only one disadvantage, her over-protective dad, who is now in the midst of having a mini-war with yours truly. Me.

And it is not funny, to be engaged in physical combat with the god of war. Especially, when your arm is twisted around your head, and you are not sure, if you will be in the same fighting fit condition you were.

But it was worth it. Kissing Clarisse like that, after winning an age old feud against demi-gods and monsters. It is like a good cup of Joe, on a cold, winter's day. Except better. And I don't see Clarisse complaining. In fact, is that a blush I see on her face. Methinks, it is.

"Okay, Raven are you going to help us or not?"

"Well, I can tell, that you will be lost without me."

Yeah, that is why your doing it. It isn't because of a certain brother of mine, who you like. A lot, it seems.

"Sure."

She really likes to drag stuff out. It is like dragging blood out of a stone. Impossible, basically.

"Okay, here is the map. We need to split up into groups of two, with three companians."

"Honey, I can't go with you. The ancient laws prevent me from helping demi-gods, and especially my own children."

"I understand. But will I see you soon?"

"Of course you will. Until then, I am going to keep an eye on your little boyfriend there, to make sure he keeps his junk in his pants."

Why does everybody feel the need, to point that I am a horny, teenage boy?! Seriously, it is embarrassing!

Ares promptly departs, and we are left alone once more.

"Clarisse and Grover, you are coming with me."

"Dylan, Raven and Annabeth, can you try not to kill each other?"

Annabeth looks on, the envy as clear as day in her eyes. Well, tough. You will find someone.

"And Raven's mom?"

"It is Winter, my dear."

"Um, yeah. You can't come with us."

"I would rather stay with my lover Wilkinson frankly."

I watch Raven face-palm herself. Yeah, her mom is kind of strange, weird and not to mention embarrassing.

"Alright, now that we have this cleared up, let's split up."

I hand out the two maps, and we say goodbye for now.

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	18. Alone Again

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson.**

**Thanks for Inifinite-Bit, Dezil, Lyra daughter and heir o Chaos, Mookeypoop, Princess Annabeth Weasley Fowl, Guest, Of Cyanide and Suicide, VERO THE SILENT ASSASSIN, Olympia5000, mrpuppy, BookDevourer52 and Quatuor :D**

**Sorry for not updating! :(**

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So, this is it. We are splitting up. I should have seen this coming. After all, the days are passing quickly. The deadline of the summer solstice is fast approaching. We need to get our asses into action.

Well, at least Dylan is on my team. I can get to know him, because to be honest, none of us have managed to learn a great deal about the others. The only disadvantage is that Annabeth is on our team. I don't know her very well, but Clarisse seems to openly detest Annabeth. I think that Clarisse is a good judge of personality, so I am wary around Annabeth.

"Okay, bye guys. Remember, if anything happens, good or bad, Iris Message us straight away. And we will do the same in return. Oh, and don't remember, I won't be held responsible, if Annabeth acts like a whiny bitch.

"Oh Raven, don't worry. You seem like a patient person. I am sure, that you will be able to deal with her. If not, you could always turn invisible for a while, so that she has to find someone else to annoy."

Clarisse seems really nice, if slightly tough. She definitely knows how to take care of herself. We leave them behind, and set out on a worldwide adventure. Not really, it is going to be confined to the US, for now at least.

I will tell you, if things take a turn for the peculiar.

Dylan and I walk ahead, with Annabeth trailing behind. Every so often, we shout at her to hurry up. And we don't get a response.

When we reach a clearing, we drop our bags onto the ground. Now, that we have created some distance between the diner, and that we are in the wilderness again, I feel safer again. For most people, they would prefer to stay in the relative safety of civilisation.

But I feel safer like this, because it is one less person to stab in the back. Both literally, and figuratively.

"Dylan, I am just going to gather some firewood, and you can try to rustle something up, when we get a fire going. Oh and make sure, that she is still alive."

I don't have to name names, for Dylan to realise who I am talking about. For one, she is slumped in the corner of the clearing, and she is shaped like Annabeth. There are no prizes for guessing correctly, unfortunately. Let's leave that for the carnival.

The sun is setting, and everything looks so beautiful. I really respect the sun; my dad is the god of the sun, after all. I hate night time, I am always up, when the sun rises. Call me strange, but I like to watch the sun rise. Alone. It just wouldn't feel right, if I were to suddenly change my ways, like a leopard changing its spots, it probably won't happen after. And I hate that clichéd view of watching the sun rise, with your beloved. How sickening can you get?

I pick up a few sticks. Hmm…slim pickings these days. There is nothing I can do, and I am not going to break a branch off a tree, I don't want to annoy the spirits. The spirits become sadistic, when angered, and breaking the branches off their home is a great way to do that. Apparently, it has happened to me personally or anything.

If you didn't know already, it has happened to me. And damn does it hurt.

When I arrive back to the clearing, Dylan greets me with a peck on the cheek. He pulls back much too soon. Why won't he just kiss me already?

I set the branches down in the symbol of Apollo, and then I light the fire. I watch as the flames dance before my eyes. Time to find out what makes Dylan tick.

"Dylan, so tell me something interesting about yourself?"

"Well, I am half a twin. My twin was attacked by a group of monsters. I think that he was taken to the Underworld. They didn't kill him, or at least I hope not! The monsters took him, only a few days after my mom told us the truth. That our dad is a god. And we were claimed a few short days after that. I haven't known long, only a few days after Percy, I expect."

I am shocked. I don't expect to hear random bits of information like this, that happen to be crucial to the plotline of a story every day. I am just a girl from nondescript town, in Ohio, with a small population. For the last months, I have been on the move, after I was attacked on my way home from school, by a monster. And I am not that powerful, so it was a surprise, most definitely not a good one. Especially, when you weren't even aware of your god parentage. It raises a few eyebrows, to be honest.

If your mom can hide that secret from you, what else can she hide from you? We always were close, and we told each other everything. My friends would mock me, saying that I was a baby, for wanting to hang out with my mom so much. But, they knew their dads, for all I had known, he could have been told.

So, when I learnt of the fact that he was far from being dead, and that my mom would secretly hunt monsters, I didn't trust her for months. She always travelled a lot for her work, but I thought that she was a mystic of some sort. That was another thing, I was mocked about. My mom. I don't know, if you have noticed, but she is kind of a wacko jacko.

She is into all sorts of alternative stuff. Some of it is really cool, like the acupuncture, others not so much. Like bloodletting, for instance. Every month on the full moon, she would cut herself and let blood out. When I asked her, why she did it, I always got the same answer.

"It releases the toxins, dearie. You should try it as well. It rejuvenates the soul. I feel like an eighteen year old, and I probably have the libido of one."

The last part didn't affect me, until I was earlier, because I didn't know what it meant. Until one day in Sex Ed. class, in seventh grade. Yeah, compared to some schools, we started sex ed. classes early. In my school, the board of management considered it perfectly.

I can remember that moment clear as day. It seems funny to me now. But when it happened, it certainly wasn't funny.

Ms. Johnson, my seventh grade was incredibly prudish. I still can't believe, that she was teaching a sex ed. class, it goes practically against her principles. Well, I didn't that libido was a sexual term, so when I raised my hand, I was not expecting the reaction I received.

"Ms. , what does libido mean?"

Instead of receiving an answer, the teacher's face turns a puce shade of purple, and for a moment, I began to worry. Oh my god, she is going to die. She is choking on a walnut, and she is going to die. Actually, she didn't even eat a walnut.

Just a minute before I popped my question, she ate a chocolate bar. Apparently, there was peanuts in the bar, and she was experiencing anaphylactic shock. I don't know, it sounds dodgy to me. If I had a peanut allergy, I would make there is absolutely no peanuts in the food I consume, which is I face palm myself in the event of other people's stupidity.

Anyway, I didn't get the answer, but eventually I found out. And when I did, I literally couldn't speak. That thought grossed me out, beyond belief. And my mother always claimed that she had the libido of an eighteen year old. Mother, please, have some dignity.

When I get along with my mom, I call her mom, but when I don't, she becomes mother. She is highly inappropriate, but in the end, she is my mom and I love her.

So, I can sympathise with him, as all demi-gods can, because we aren't told until our lives depend on the news. And then it is time to escape and survive, or stay and die eventually, because you don't have the skills necessary for a child of the gods otherwise. You need to know how to shoot an arrow straight, how to use a sword, how to trust our instincts. It may seem simple, but in reality, it is so much more than that.

I finally have a chance to get to know Dylan. And I mean that in every way, as perverted as they may seem. But I mean have you seen him? Like his brother, Percy, he is a sex god. And I like that. I could pounce on him right now, but unlike some people, I have self-control. Yeah, that was a dig directed at Annabeth, what about it?

"And not surprisingly, I am a good swimmer. Tomorrow, do you want to race in the lake? You will lose, I can assure you."

I feel my lips turn up in a smirk. Is that a challenge I hear? Bring it on, boy. And then the unmistakeable noise of snoring can be heard. Funny, I didn't think of Annabeth as a snorer.

**Please read and review. I am so sorry, that this chapter is so short! I was hoping it would be longer. I have you liked the Daven romance (Dylan/ Raven). **

**Quatuor, I hope that you liked Raven in this chapter :)**


	19. Strange

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson. **

**I am sorry that I haven't updated in ages. But my dad was in Ohio with the good laptop, and the other laptop deletes files at random, so I wasn't willing to risk that. **

**This chapter isn't my best, I can admit that. I am sorry. You wait so long for me to update, and then the chapter is shocking.**

**Thanks to climb-a-ladder-to-the-sun, Melovetacos, Rainbow and Sunshine, Randomness (There might be some later on : ), VERO THE SILENT ASSASSIN, Quatuor, BookDevourer52, Dezil and Ringmasterization**

Jesus, that girl can snore. You wouldn't think by looking at her, that she would have such a pair of lungs, so I guess first impressions aren't always the right impression. I mean, with her blonde hair, and grey eyes, she looks kind of delicate and pretty. And maybe if I hadn't met Clarisse first, I might have fallen for her 'charms'. But I did. Fate is a funny thing. Clarisse was heartbroken, when I first met her. I didn't know why, and when I found out, I became extremely angry. Clarisse seemed so nice, and Annabeth seemed like a total bitch. At least from what Clarisse told me, but I suppose Annabeth can't be all bad. She is probably an insecure teenage girl, who kisses other people's boyfriends to feel good about herself. But whatever. I am not one to judge.

When we go to the camp that my mom wanted me to go to, Camp Half Blood, hopefully things will settle down. And then I will find out, what it is like to be surrounded with demi-gods. It is such a cliché, but usually I don't feel like I belong. I am really sociable with people I don't know. However, I am a total train wreck with people that I know. I don't know how to act, so I act like an asshole, or I act really shy. There is no comfortable middle-ground with me. So that was another reason for me to leave. Maybe a change of scenery would change me in the process.

It has been a whirlwind journey, needless to say. I crossed the Atlantic on a ferry along with my brother, because it is dangerous for children of Poseidon to fly, according to my mom. From there, we tried to find our bearings. But we had barely found them, when Darragh was taken. The memory still haunts me.

"Hey, Dylan, that was a smooth crossing wasn't it?"

Hahaha, Darragh the amazingly sarcastic. The days before we left, the seas were ridiculous and this hadn't ceased even for a moment for the duration of our trip. It was a large boat, perfect for rough seas. But these seas were beyond what even the skipper experienced before. Something was wrong. Our dad was angry, and judging from the lightning bolts dancing across the sea that were only metres from the boat, Zeus was angry as well. Over what, was a complete and utter mystery to us. We were out of the loop, while we were on the boat, and we hadn't heard about the theft of Zeus's master bolt. If we had known, we would have perhaps been more prepared for the inevitable events that would soon occur. But unfortunately, not far from the port in South Florida, Hades' monsters were waiting for us to show up. Don't ask me how they had known we would be there, because I am still shocked.

I rolled my eyes, and smirked. I should have known this question was coming.

"It sure was, Darragh. I haven't had such a relaxing time in ages."

Hey, if you can't beat them, join them.

A look of horror flashes across his. Just a few minutes ago, he was well within the limits of his comfort zone. What had caused him to look like he was constipated? Those looks are one and the same, so you would excuse me for mistaking it.

By the time, I notice the monster beside me, there is nothing left to do but fight and keep on fighting. Before we left, my mom handed me a bag with swords in it. There were in pen form and to use them, you press a small button need the top of the pen.

On the boat, we had no reason to fight for our lives, we were on a boat full of mostly geriatrics, for gods' sake. They were constantly checking up on Darragh and I. Especially, this elderly couple who go by the collective name of Tory. Don't ask me why or how. It's just the way things were on the boat. Their cabin was beside ours, and every morning we would wake up to the sound of persistent knocking on the door. When one of us finally summoned up the energy to answer the door, Toryx2 would be smiling and shoving food into our cabin. The female Tory fussed over us, as if we were her own offspring.

"You boys are far too skinny. You need to be fattened up. Leave me prepare a proper meal for the two of you. Your mother told me to take care of you."

I should have mentioned the Tories were close family friends. You must have been scratching your heads in confusion, or is that just your dandruff?

Our own grandparents died when we were young, too young to remember important details about them. So it was nice to have the Tories around. They brought some much needed comic relief to us on the ship, with their mischievous qualities. The both of them were at least seventy years old, yet they still had those childish qualities. They got into all sorts of trouble. One day, they removed all the water from the pool, and put jelly in the pool as an alternative. The first swimmers of the day were unpleasantly surprised, when they dipped their big toe into the pool, needless to say.

It is hard to believe, that as serene as the boat was, what occurred afterwards surpassed the chaos of the ship and I say this with utmost sarcasm, because the trip was far from peaceful. Who knew geriatrics could get up to so much mischief? Certainly not me.

I managed to get a few slashes of the sword in, but that wasn't enough to defeat the stronger monsters, and Darragh was taken. So this is how my journey started.

In the last few days, I have been rushed around America. It is hard to believe that little over a week or two ago, I was in Ireland with my mom and my brother. Now, my life has transformed without any proper explanation. Before my life changed, I had no idea who my dad was. Sure, my mom told my brother and I about our father, telling us that he is a very important man, and has very little time for anything else besides his job.

Of course, now that I know he is the god of the sea, it makes perfect sense to me, why he didn't have time for us, and why he left us. It doesn't make it easier, because in the end he still left us abruptly, without any prior warning whatsoever.

Sometimes, I used to think that we had done something wrong, but Darragh and I were just infants, only days old when he left us. I feel so angry that my best friend/brother has been taken by creatures from the underworld.

I find it so hard to get to sleep, thanks to Ms. Sleep Apnoea here. Instead, I stare up at the dark night sky. The stars twinkle in the vastness of it all, making it look beautiful. I take a peek at Raven, fast asleep, looking as snug as a bug in a rug. I wish I could be as laidback, but everything is getting to me. I need to rescue Darragh.

Raven looks beautiful in the moonlight. It is cheesy, but it is true. I watch Raven toss and turn in her sleep for a while, before my eyes slowly begin to close and I know that I will finally be able to sleep again. My insomnia has been acting up for the past few weeks, so any sleep I can get is welcome.

"Dylan!"

I wake up abruptly. Who is calling my name? I crane my head, but I can't see anybody. Raven is still asleep, and from the sound of Annabeth snoring, she is fast asleep as well. What time is it? This is ridiculous! It couldn't be later than six am. I can't catch a break.

"Dylan! It is me!"

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	20. Scary Situations

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson. **

**Thanks to Guest, AmandaDaughterOfHades, Inifinite-Bit, Voldemort's Lovechild, WildCitrusSunflower, DerangedOtakuFangirl, mrpuppy, Quatuor and BookDevourer52 for your reviews.**

**I am sorry that this chapter is so short. Please tell me, if you think that I should write this fic in past tense, in my poll on my profile.**

"Dylan! Dylan!"

Why won't he wake up? I need to tell him something important. I hear footsteps behind me. Swiftly, I turn around in alarm. After all, it is only six am. You don't expect anybody to be up at this gods forsaken hour of the morning ever. I didn't get up by choice, I barely got up at all. But I thought Clarisse, Grover and I were in danger, and I could feel my spidey senses tingling.

I was awoken by my dad, mysteriously walking into the clearing, silent as could be, highlighted by the slowly rising sun, a little over an hour ago now. My dad had a serene look on his face, totally contradicting the hurried walk of someone who is stressed out. He kind of looked like he was high, I am sorry but that it is what it looked like. He freaked me out, because his facial expression and his walking pace were completely out of proportion, if that makes any sense whatsoever. Well, it does make sense to me anyway, and that is the only thing that matters to me at this hour of the morning.

Okay, that sounds much more dramatic than it actually was and actually not all of the above was the full truth. I mean, my dad fell over a log and that is why I woke up. Goddamn you dad, it wasn't like I was trying to sleep or anything. I mean, it wasn't like I was tired or anything or even the slightest bit anxious about monsters, ready to kill us in our sleep.

Do you want to hear the painful conversation between my dad and I? You do? I was afraid you might. Well, it turns out that this thief hasn't just stolen Zeus's ,master bolt, but my dad's trident and Hades' helmet of invisibility. And they might not be in America, and to prevent an 'apocalypse', we have to find all three before the deadline in two weeks. Fun, I can't wait. Well, we are young.

Impossible. This is not just impossible, but completely ridiculous. How are we supposed to complete this seemingly unachievable quest in little under two weeks now? We can't. let's go back to the present, shall we.

Anyway, I was Iris Messaging Dylan, or trying to anyway. Damn, that boy sleeps like he has never slept before. And judging from the really, really loud snoring, I would say that I am right. If only I had a phone on me to record this, but of course demi—gods can't have phones, because monsters can track us. Blah de blah, tell me something that I don't know.

Wait, I think he is waking up. Thanks gods, if he hadn't, I probably would have thrown a brick at him. If that were possible, of course.

Okay, time for one last loud scream to fully wake him up. Hmmm, it seems like I can be pretty vindictive in the morning. Well, that is what you get when you are woken by force in the hours of the morning, that no one should be awake for.

"Dylan. Get off your ass, and speak to me. I am tired, and I don't have my jar of nutella with me, so I am pissed off right now. Don't test me, I am warning you. I have to tell you something extremely important. And I am not just bull-shitting here. I really mean that this is important, so like I said wake up and get off your ass."

Dylan abruptly wakes up, and wipes the sleep out of his eyes. He looks really grumpy. Great, he looks exactly how I feel. Then he notices me, and his eyes widen.

"Percy, what's wrong?"

I love the way, he automatically suspects that something is wrong. Obviously, something is, but come on. I am not always the bearer of bad news. Well, there was that time…. But it wasn't only that bad. It was only an ambush by a small group of monsters.

"Dylan, I have something really important to tell you. There is some big shit going down. And I am cursing. I only curse, when I am stressed out, so be prepared. Dad woke me up this morning, well more like the dead of night. And he told me my worst nightmare. His trident was stolen and Hades' helmet was also taken by the Lightning thief. But now, this 'thief' isn't just a lightning thief, he is an aquatic and deadly thief. Godsdamn that thief, he is going to be the death of me. And nobody knows where the master weapons are. Guess who's job it is to retrieve them? That's right. We have to find them, and quickly. I don't what the point of separating was, because dad told me to find you as soon as possible and get started. Already, the seas and skies are brewing with a terrible storm."

"Percy, I think that you are being over-dramatic. Come on, that didn't happen. You just have an over-active imagination, and that is okay. We understand your need to exaggerate. Well, actually we don't, but we have to live with it, so it is just easier to accept."

My jaw drops in pretend shock.

"Is that really how you feel? It's over between us."

After our little impromptu…whatever that was, the air seems lighter. I haven't laughed so much in ages. I need to revert to my more serious self now, otherwise he won't believe me.

"Yeah, but Dylan I am being serious."

Dylan pauses me in mid-stretch. He looks at me in wonderment.

"You really aren't joking? Okay, I believe you now. What are we supposed to do?"

This is confession time and he isn't going to like it.

"I have no idea, I really have no idea."

Beside me, I hear the rustling of the sleeping bag, as Clarisse gently tosses and turns, before gradually opening her eyes. She is still in that stage of waking up, when you are not ready for the world. She looks so sweet right now. I don't want to ruin her day, but she is going to find out eventually.

"Clarisse, Clarisse, wake up."

No reply. Instead, I hear a scream and I am certain that it isn't me. She is really scaring me now. Clarisse isn't the type of girl to scream at the drop of a top hat. There has to be a reason, and judging by the look of terror on her face, this is big.

I turn around to face the potentially dangerous monster, and then I see an equally terrifying sight.

Grover is making with a tree nymph. And it seems like they are really getting into it. Come on guys, at least try to keep the illusion that you can keep it your pants. I am still not in the mood for anything really. And this is just grossing me out. How far is his tongue down her truth.

I hear Dylan's resounding screech. Later on, he would claim that it was a manly yell but he was wrong. I know a screech when I hear one, and most definitely that was a screech.

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	21. High

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson.**

**Thanks to RICKRIODANMK2, DerangedOtakuFangirl, WildCitrusSunflower, BookDevourer52, Melovetacos, AmandaDaughterOfHades, The Invisible Pretender, mrpuppy and Quatuor.**

**This chapter is Clarisse's POV. I am really sorry that this chapter is so short. But I had to update another fic as well; a Zutara fic. And last week, I was in a school production and I am still really tired. I will update in the next day or two to make up for this disappointing chapter. **

So, after that slightly (or dare I say, extremely) weird start to an already weird morning, I try my best to forget that disturbing visual of Grover and the unnamed nymph. I think it is best that she remain unnamed, because I am having a hard time looking at Grover the same way and if I hear her name, it will bring that memory back with a vengeance. I mean, his throat was so far down her throat, it was nearly in her oesophagus. Any further , and he could have given her a colonoscopy. Wait, does that make sense? I am not quite sure, because not only have I been thoroughly disturbed before breakfast, we have received the worst possible news.

Well, unless news arrives from Olympus, stating that my dad is pregnant with Artemis's child. And that would not happen, because first of all it is physically impossible and secondly, Artemis is a maiden goddess. Obviously, that is the stuff of twisted nightmares.

I don't know what I did to deserve that visual, but whatever we have more pressing matters. Early in the morning, in that period between night and day, Poseidon came to Percy. Okay, yes, I am mocking Percy. But come on, as much as I love him and all, he makes it so easy to tease him. Some might say that he makes it too easy.

At this hour of the morning, I can't help but notice that Percy tends to be slightly melodramatic. And I say in the kindest way possible, if there were a kind way to say that you are being annoyingly attention seeking. But I love him, so it doesn't matter as much as it probably should.

Well, enough with my pointless rambling and onto my delicious breakfast of rabbit stew. No, I am totally kidding. I am having a bowl of cornflakes. I do have a moral conscience, okay, even though it mightn't seem so sometimes. My only complaint is that the cornflakes have gone off. How am I so sure? Well, there is the distinct flavour of yuck mixed in with the nutritious taste of disgusting. So yeah, I am pretty certain. And people wonder why I am not a morning people.

As I glance to my left, in the corner of my eye, I can see an extremely peculiar sight. Either Percy is talking frantically to that weed, or else my peripheral vision is playing mind games on me.

And I really hope that it is the second option. After observing Percy's strange antics for a minute, my patience has officially packed its bags and left. Rolling my eyes, I storm over to him.

"Percy, what in gods name are you doing? You are really annoying me now. I am going to kiss you okay, if you stop that insane pacing and speaking ritual. I will be quite happy to do that, it isn't like you have to pay me to kiss you. After all, you are gorgeous."

Is he ignoring me? I am being extremely out of character, and for what? To be ignored? Nuh-uh. That isn't the way I roll. I am a strong, independent woman and I am going to kiss my insane, lovable boyfriend. And with that, I kiss Percy so passionately, and then abruptly I stop.

This is rom-com territory now, so of course this has to change it. Hearing Dylan's distinctive laugh, I heave a sigh of relief. Finally, we can this quest started.

"Clarisse?"

Finally Percy is speaking to animate objects again. This is great progress. The therapist told me that Percy should be back to his old self again soon. And that therapist is me. No diagnosis is better than a diagnosis made by a unqualified therapist. Yes, I am being sarcastic. Yes, I am glad that Percy is back to his old self again. And yes, I am slightly afraid of the daunting task ahead of us. And yes, I am bullshitting. I am really scared, and I never thought that I would say that, because usually, I am tough and proud.

But who says that I can't be tough, proud and afraid? It just makes me seem more human and likeable, and there isn't anything wrong with that. I can't be tough all the time, even though I try. Right now, I am feeling distinctly nervous. Before I met Percy, I wouldn't have questioned my awesomeness. I still think that I am awesome. After all, we are all awesome in our own unique way. But I know that it is okay to feel powerless sometimes. It doesn't mean that I like it, but I get on with it. Wait, what is Dylan doing?

Actually, you know what, I don't want to tell you every little detail about my rag tag group of friends. But what I will tell you is that he is making shadow bunnies. Don't ask.

It seems like I need to be the leader today. The others are all acting high, which I know can't be true because they don't need stimulants to make them appear insane. It comes naturally to them.

"Okay, cop on. We need to find not one but three symbols of power. And they can be anywhere. But we have a map, that Poseidon gave us. Please applaud Percy's dad."

A light scattering of applauding ensues. Good enough.

"And we have one pearl. And this pearl will tell us where the first symbol is. The rest we have to find for ourselves. And there are some countries that we can cross off straight away, because the country needs to have some form of Greek influence in architecture style. Annabeth?"

I direct my last question at Annabeth. After all, out of our group, she is big into architecture. No points to why.

"Well, the Greeks have really influence Britain and its architecture. So yeah, that would be a great first step."

For a moment, I almost fond of Annnabeth. Yack, no not. It is much too soon for that sort of camaderie.

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	22. Daisies

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson.**

**Thanks to Theguywhoreads, Inifinite-Bit, myhaterzmotivation, krixxcross, BookDevourer52, Quatuor, DerangedOtakuFangirl, mrpuppy and The Invisible Pretender for your reviews.**

**This chapter is in Percy's POV.**

**I am sorry that this chapter took so long, but while I was writing it earlier on I was being sexually harassed by a guy in my school on Facebook.**

So yeah we got high off the most unusual source. After seeing Grover and that nymph with his tongue down her throat, I picked up a few daisies and tried to end my agony. Clarisse isn't impressed with me. In fact, she is downright annoyed and pissed off, which is basically the same thing.

Also, she is wondering how I got high off a few daisies. They are after all a harmless plant with white petals. Well, let's just say that I have my ways. If anybody can manage to get high off daisies, it would be us. After that disastrous occasion, when I was no longer high, I licked the sole of Grover's foot, which by the way is a terrible idea.

"Percy, you were high on daisies for the past twenty four hours and then you lick Grover's foot? Great idea!"

Oh Clary, you have such a great sense of humour.

Anyway, right now I need to man up and strap my balls on.

Sorry, I have always wanted to say that. I hope I haven't scarred too much people in the process of my selfish deeds. I have scarred myself, so let's stop this absurd talk before it gets out of hand. I don't need a whole nation of people complaining about the strange boy who kidnapped his own mom. Which technically is mom-napping.

Anyway, I have enough problems without adding to the already giant pile. I just laugh at my dilemmas; it's an unattractive trait because then I never ever get anything done, but it is also a positive trait because I don't take life too seriously and succumb to pressure. Let's just hope that Annabeth is right about Britain being the location of the second symbol of power.

But we have yet to find Zeus's bolt. Or at least, we have suspicions. We think that it is in the underworld, and the plot is moving too slowly for my liking, so we really need to get a map which shows us the approximate location of all three icons. I am not sure how those two seemingly separate thoughts conjoined, but whatever YOLO. And now I am chastising myself. I am never again to repeat any form of popular, dim-witted phrases which make me want to bring a gun to my head. And I am not in any way suicidal, but the phrase brings out the worst in me.

Apparently, the worst part of me is secretly slightly emo. I don't mean to offend emos in any shape or form. I just want to get this quest over with, so I can return to camp and have my mom back. My mom and I are really close, well were anyway. Hopefully, I can change the were back into are before the completion of this story. It would really bring tears to my eyes, if she were to return safely. Which I would then pass off as a ridiculous lie, such as I have an eyelash in my contact lens.

Obviously, that is utterly ridiculous because I have no need for contact lenses. I have 20/20 vision.

Anyway, enough with the irrelevant chatter on everything except for the task ahead of us. Wait, didn't dad give me a backpack earlier on? Perhaps, the map is there tucked up into a pocket.

I stand up and run to the dirty blue backpack lying at Grover's feet… Uh, I mean hooves. What a fail at a joke! I am sorry that you had to hear that. Everybody seems to be staring at me. Well, I wouldn't blame them. I have been acting quite bizarre recently, what with the high incident. Needless to say, I have been put under lock down by Clarisse. Who knew that she would get so protective and freaked out about an isolated event? Certainly not me, I can say that for certainty.

Okay, time to reassure them. They look like they about to collectively faint. How I going to explain this to a medical professional? That my friends just spontaneously collapsed?

No, that sounds suspicious. Like they are on drugs or something. I better come up with a cover story quickly. Or better yet, I should just explain what I am doing. Yeah, that will prevent any unnecessary collapsing. And in my humble opinion, any form of collapsing is unnecessary.

Holding my hands up, with my best innocent look plastered across my face I step forward.

"I come in peace, Earthlings. I have simple come to look for the map that my dad may or may not have given me as an offering, even though it should be the other way around."

Even though, I am joking with them, I really do think that the map is somewhere in my backpack. Upon hearing my short yet hopefully speech, each and every one of my friends rush over to me in anticipation. My hands are actually shaking in excitement. I haven't got such a rush since the Super Bowl.

I begin rummaging in my bag. Well, there are lots of wrappers. And I mean lots. I don't see anything useful here. As my fingers scrape the lining of the bag, a gold bag catches my eye. Hmm… This is interesting. After all, good things come in gold packages. Or something like that.

Picking the bag up, I play a game of hot potato with it trying not to drop the precious cargo. It seems strangely light. But since when is a map heavy?

My hopes still high, I gently tear open the silver seams. A small piece of paper lies within the bag. And I mean, the paper is absolutely miniscule. Maybe the map increases in size once removed? My hopes rapidly extinguishing, I remove the paper carefully. Once I see the content, I am ready to lie down on a chair and tell a psychiatrist all my problems. I don't care whose psychiatrist he or she happens to be, I am not too fussy.

On the paper in blue script, font 13 New Times Roman, a message with heart-breaking undertones is written or typed, whichever. 'You didn't think it would be this easy, did you? Love dad'

I mean, you would swear that he is the god of pranks. Leave that shenanigans to Hermes, or the Stoll twins.

"Why would he do that?"

"Oh Clary, he is just joking around. It just happens that this time it isn't funny whatsoever."

Wait, I think I feel writing on the other side. Fingers crossed.

"Okay, guys I don't want to get your hopes up, but I think we are on the right track here. I think there is writing on the other side."

Everybody starts talking at once. I guess that they are excited. Who knew? Our first major clue, of course we are excited.

"This is so great. We can save the world and we will be heroes and then I can boss my siblings around again."

Oh Annabeth, so much to learn. We don't care what you do with your siblings as long as you stop bringing them up in every conversation. I swear, sometimes it is like having a conversation with a gerbil. 'What do you want for breakfast? My siblings.' Make that a cannibal gerbil.

Now that Annabeth is after turning the nymph shenanigans down a notch, she is almost bearable. Note, I said almost bearable not bearable. She treats Clarisse like dirt. And that is why I don't like her.

"Great, then Juniper and I can get married and have flowers in our hair."

Grover, I wasn't notified upon your up-coming wedding. I am hurt. I think that he is still high on the daisies. I better wean him off that dangerous drug, before he becomes a liability.

"Oh, and Percy, you are going to be my best man. We will go to Las Vegas."

Yeah, he is still most definitely high on something. What to do, what to do. Anyway, like I said, time to stop this vicious cycle of drug dependence.

"Oh, everybody please shut up. You are giving me a migraine with your sudden insights. Anyway, let's read the note."

Turning the sheet around, I smile. Now we are getting somewhere.

"You will find the map at the place where the gorgon sells statues."

Great, we have jumped off one sinking ship and straight onto another. We sure do have the best of luck. Yeah, I can't wait for the upcoming battle between the ever joyful Medusa. And us.

This is what I have been dreading my whole life. .Alright, not my whole life just in the past couple of weeks.

Cue major groans. We are screwed.

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	23. Aunty Em

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson.**

**Thanks to DerangedOtakuFangirl, mrpuppy, Quatuor and The Invisible Pretender for your reviews.**

**This chapter is in Percy's POV. I think that this chapter is much better than the last. Hopefully, you think so as well.**

"It is time to get serious, everybody. Do you understand soldiers? That means no more playing in the mud!"

At that, everyone turns to stare at Dylan who has been surprisingly quiet the last few days. The poor boy turns beetroot. Oh well, it had to be said. There is so much time being wasted already, just by having this conference/pep talk. We have been huddling around each other for the past few hours, trying to jump start any ideas.

"And Grover, hold off on the tin cans for a bit, does that sound alright?"

Grover turns to look at me aghast at my suggestion. Alright, apparently that isn't A-OK with him. Well, he will just have to deal with it for a few days. Those tin cans don't help your bowel movements at well. Let's just leave it at that, shall we?

"Raven, stop staring at Dylan okay? We all know that you like him, so why don't you just ask him out. It is getting really annoying. Stop acting like teenagers."

Raven turns the exact shame shade of beetroot as Dylan. Well, at least they are matching now. I really hope that they won't be the type of couple who have to colour coordinate their entire wardrobes, because come on, let's face it is absolutely absurd.

"We are teenagers, Percy. Okay, maybe I want to act like one!"

She is trying to save face, obviously. But she didn't deny that she has a thing for Dylan. Interesting, all our suspicions happen to be correct.

"No Raven! You are a soldier, so act like one!"

I am enjoying being bossy a tad too much. But hey, normally I am the laid back one. I can see why Clarisse enjoys bossing me around so much. Not that I have anything to complain about.

"Screw you Percy! Why did you have to embarrass me?"

"Chill your beans, Raven. I didn't mean any offence. If you hadn't guessed it, I am saying something bad about each of you, including myself."

Raven looks uncomfortable now.

"Oh Raven, it is okay. We are still friends, right?"

A smile begins to creep across her face, much like rays of sun. Ah, all is right with the world again.

"Friends."

And then she sticks her hand for me to shake. Hmm, it seems a bit formal to me, but whatever she wants. In return, I shake her hand and I am surprised by her firm grip. Nevertheless, I give as good as I get.

"Anyway, enough with the distractions. Back to the conference. Annabeth and Clarisse, it is up to you to discuss tactics."

This is my first civil conversation with Annabeth. The last time I was somewhat uncomfortable what with her 'firm grip' and all. And the waitress thing, which was just plain bizarre. But Annabeth is the best person for the job, well besides Clarisse. Athena, the goddess of wisdom. Ares, the god of war. Together, they are the perfect pair in relation to war tactics. This is going to be good.

But I am not finished speaking.

"Oh, and Annabeth, Clarisse, please try to be civil. I am wrecked as it is."

I feel old. I am only fifteen. I don't need this kind of stress. At this rate, my black hair is going to be completely grey by the age of twenty.

When Annabeth and Clarisse leave, I go back to the previous topic of conversation.

"So, any suggestions for protection?"

Raven puts her hand in the air. I sigh. Not again.

"Yes Raven, we aren't in school. You don't have to put your hand up. What is it?"

"Umm, I was thinking condoms. Even though they aren't hundred per cent effective."

Wait, what? What is she talking about? I didn't mean that kind of protection. Surely, she knows that. Methinks a certain someone is otherwise preoccupied with night time shenanigans with a certain someone else.

"Raven, not that kind of protection. I mean, as in battle protection like armour or shields."

Raven blushes bright red. Not this again. Stop blushing. Any more blushing and I am going to spontaneously combust. If that were possible, I would have had at least several of these urges in the past four hours. And we are still no closer to our final plan. I am being so serious. A shudder goes up my spine. I don't like it.

"Oh, of course you did. Well, in that case, I can alter the light so we appear invisible. Of course, Annabeth won't need me to do that for her, what with her cap and all."

"Yes, very good idea. I like that. Very clever. Dylan, any ideas?"

Dylan has been awfully quiet. Wait, is he looking at Raven, by any chance?

"Dylan, Dylan? Get your head in the game, man!"

I resort to clicking my fingers in front of his face. How terribly rude, I know, but what else can I do now? And I apologise for that unfortunate quote from an even more unfortunate movie. Cheesy is not the word. Yuck, I want to get violently sick now. That wouldn't be enough punishment.

Finally, he is awakening from his deep slumber. Way to make it obvious brother. That isn't the Poseidon way, even though it is awfully sweet. I mean, Raven is blushing yet again. Is there a remote to fast forward this?

"Huh? There is water in the air. Even if there is no water in Medusa's lair, we could defend ourselves still."

Now he is thinking. Great, now we only have Grover to contend with. And he is making out with…. Wait, what is her name again? Juice, Jade, Jane. No, they don't sound right. Aha, Juniper. When did she arrive? She better go back to Camp Half Blood, before she distracts Grover any more. How come she is so far from her tree anyway? As I gaze around the increasingly dull clearing, I notice the scattering of juniper here, there and everywhere. I guess that is plausible.

"Grover, stop making out with your girlfriend!"

Grover reluctantly pulls away. Oh, I will give him reluctant in a moment. I don't care that my statement made no sense. I want to be making out with Clarisse, but I can't. I am trying to save the world from total destruction by the Big Three, one of whom is my dad. You see normal teenage problems, right?  
>"Grover, any ideas?"<p>

"I can throw my tin cans at them, although I would prefer to eat them. What a waste of Sn."

Grover looks mournfully at me. I simply roll my eyes. When you know the chemical symbol, you are definitely obsessed. I don't want him to sing the Elements song. Please spare me that small mercy.

"Okay, close enough. Although I am not sure what Medusa will think. She will probably roll around with laughter on the cold, stone ground."

Grover turns his puppy dog eyes on me again. I mean, the guy is my best friend and all. But when it comes to pressure like world destruction, he is next to useless. He looks heart broken right now, that I just have to guy hug him.

"We are nearly there now. Although, Grover you have been eating a lot of tin cans lately. Something you want to tell us? Do you know how much sugar is in those things? A lot!"

Man, I could get used to this. No wonder people like bossing others around. Oh my gods, what am I turning into? A monster! I should just hand myself over to Kronos, while I have my pride.

Obviously, that isn't about to happen, because Kronos is a sadistic bastard. Excuse my French, but no other word is special or strong enough to fully describe Kronos.

Why aren't Annabeth and Clarisse finished discussing tactics yet? We are wasting time as it is. Almost as soon I have processed those thoughts; Annabeth and Clarisse walk side by side, laughing away at something.

Girls. They are a mystery.

"Well? What is the plan of action?"

Annabeth and Clarisse continue to laugh like they are best friends. Like I said before, I really don't understand girls. Somebody should write a Girl to English dictionary, because I am sure every guy in the world would benefit greatly from such a project. It would revolutionise social situations, which involve girls, as we know it. It would be the start of a new generation. Every guy would be suave and awkward would no longer be a viable word. It would be a previously unknown phenomena. What a world it would be.

"Annabeth and I have decided that guerrilla-like warfare would be appropriate. Obviously, we aren't going to war here, hence like. We get in there, find the map as quickly as possible and get out as soon as humanly possible. Be prepared for attack and defend anybody who has fallen. Use a shiny surface to look around corners, before you make a run for it. If Medusa goes anywhere near you, close your eyes and feel your way around. Get some distance between her and you will be fine."

Yes, these are the tactics that I have been looking for.

"Great job. We have got ourselves a plan. We need to go now. Pack up your equipment and let's leave."

This is the part of quests that I hate with a burning passion. Packing up everything, while looking over your shoulder in case a monster comes hurtling into camp. It is such a pain, but it has to be done. That reminds me. I haven't seen any form of monster in days, well besides Juniper and Grover's little make out sessions, which turn out to be not so little.

Wait, what is that?

"Dylan stop it. We have to go, we can do that later!"

Okay, now I am completely scarred. I mean, he is my brother. I don't need to know what kind of antics he gets up to with his girlfriend.

Apparently, I am not the only one to have heard that titbit of information unfortunately. Now we will all need some form of electric shock therapy by Hades to erase it from our minds. And we simply don't have time. We must get on the road.

At least, I don't have much with me, so when I finish I start patrolling. I know that I seem paranoid. Get over it. Sorry, that was unnecessarily harsh.

"Okay, is everybody ready?"

In unison, I swear that they practised this at some stage, I hear the response.

"No!"

"I swear that if you don't hurry up, you won't like the consequences."

I think that I would be a pretty good dad. My suspicions are confirmed when Clarisse places her hand on my arm and gazes at me from beneath her eyelashes. This is so unlike her.

"You will be a great dad, Percy. And great…"

Clarisse is interrupted by the rest of the group, who are standing there watching us with an intent look on their faces. I sigh. We can never get any privacy. Looks like I am not going to find out what she was going to say.

"Let's go."

The sound of our shouts mingle with the sound of traffic on the highway.

"How are we going to get there?"

"Oh Percy, don't worry. I have that problem sorted."

The look in Clarisse's eyes is so….mischievous. What does she have up her sleeve? Moments later, I am granted with the tantalising noise of a motorbike engine. I love Clarisse, I really do.

"Clarisse, if I hadn't said it before, I will say it now. You are the best."

Meanwhile, Clarisse just smiles, confident as ever.

"Oh, I know Percy, I know."

With these motorbikes it won't take us long to reach Aunty Em's Gnome Emporium, otherwise known as Medusa's evil lair.

Revving the motorbike up, I shout over the noise of the whirring noise of the engine.

"Everybody ready?"

In unison, the reply is like music to my ears.

"Yes!"

And then we travel into the distance, hair flying in the wind. You can enter Medusa's lair via many different entrances, in many different states. It is like King's Cross basically. It is the centre of the monster world. Every other monster lair circles the gorgon's lair. It makes life really difficult for us.

Since we are in the state of Texas right now, the lair appears stereotypically Texan with saloon doors and whatnot. It is really impressive, with the paint cracking all over the joint. The place radiates danger.

As I get off the motorbike, I stare in wonder. This isn't going to be as easy as we planned. Uh-uh.

"And where do you think you are going?"

The nasally voice is somewhere behind us. Immediately, the goose pimples on my arms rise up. Danger, danger.

"Don't look at her!" I say to the others, in a stage whisper.

**159 reviews! Yay!**

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	24. Bad Ass

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson.**

**Thanks to poseidon299, Guest ( I'm sorry, this chapter is not much of an improvement), Hunter of Artemis101, DerangedOtakuFangirl, mrpuppy, BookDevourer52, The Invisible Pretender and Quatuor for your reviews.**

**Apologies for the short chapter. I am having major widespread writer's block across the board. This means that I can't write for either PJO, HP or ATLA! I'm dying here!**

**Hopefully, this chapter will kickstart things for me :)**

**Please take part in my poll :) This chapter is in Clarisse's POV.**

"And what do we have here?"

Oh, how I wish to respond with a sarcastic remark, such as, "We are having a delightful tea party. Care to partake in the jubilations."

So little has happened in the last few minutes. It is like we have been frozen in our fighting stances. As Medusa gently walks around us, staring at each of us, her huge, black sunglasses covering half her face. Slowly, very slowly, she walks towards Percy.

What is she going to do? A shiver goes up my spine. This place needless to say is spooky. We haven't even passed the threshold and yet there are many statues surrounding us. It is like an army made of stone. And what is disconcerting about it is that the statues seem to be looking at you no matter what and no matter where you happen to be standing. It is sort of like a 3d Mona Lisa, who happen to be humans or not so human beneath all the stone.

"Son of Poseidon, you certainly have your father's good lucks! And why have you come to me today? Oh leave me guess. I just love these guessing games. They give me such a thrill."

I find my voice. I have the perfect retort.

"That sounds pretty sad. Your life must be a bundle of fun!"

On second thought, I am not so sure that was clever. Her face is becoming increasingly red. Oh no, I have angered her. Whatever. I will take great pleasure in killing her. One of my siblings ran away, and walked into Medusa's lair. She took great pleasure in turning my brother, Simon to stone. And then she took a picture and sent it to us via Iris Message.

She is evil. No duh, Sherlock is what you are probably thinking at this present moment in time. Well, sorry, I'm just stating a fact. She is one hundred per cent ape shit crazy. She is a recluse. Her sisters are dead and she is crazy. These are facts and no matter how much how argue against me, you are going to lose. Right now, my heart beats faster as a result of my rage.

You better run away Medusa. Run, run, and run as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man.

How scary is that? The gingerbread man? I'm positively quaking in my Doc Martens, which are extremely comfy by the way. They are very handy for kicking monster butt, something I intend doing to the last of the gorgons with pleasure. Holy shit, I am scaring myself now. I sound like a mad person. Maybe I am, maybe I am not. What's it to you?

Slowly, very slowly, she turns her creepy head towards me. A fake smile is spreading across her face, faster than wildfire.

"Ah, Ares' favourite child. I wonder why? You are the very embodiment of your father, dear Clarisse."

"Thank you so much for comparing me to a man who is bulky and muscular. It really means a lot."

I was being sarcastic, but apparently the gorgons are irony-impaired, as she didn't realise that I am mocking her. It is probably for the best.

"You are quite welcome, dear. Anytime, you want some insightful thoughts, come to me."

A seriously unpleasant smile is plastered across her face. What is with this chick? She has so much different looks; most of them come underneath the category seriously deranged.

Pass me the vomit bucket. I can't believe that she is acting like this. I knew that she was totally psychotic, but this is my first time actually meeting her in person, and I am not prepared for the true craziness of her persona.

And I am getting bored of all the chit chat. No need to be polite Medusa, not on our account.

Time to get this part started. And then I hit her with kick to the head. I knew these gym classes would come in useful someday. Ignoring the curious stares, I stomp into the building. I for one don't want to be around when she wakes up. Right now, it is our task to retrieve the pearl not to kill Medusa. That can happen later. And I will take pleasure in doing it, just as she takes pleasure in turning her victims to stone.

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	25. Lost in Thought

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO.**

**Thanks to Guest, Toaneo07 Ver2.0, Zylus, MikeSonOfKratos, DerangedOtakuFangirl, RICKRIODANMK2, BookDevourer52 (Hmm, is that a good or bad thing? :) ), Quatuor and poseidon299 for your reviews!**

**This chapter is in Percy's POV.**

Wow. My girlfriend is such an effing badass, I think smugly to myself. I stick my tongue out at Grover, whose mouth is hanging open in disbelief. Yeah, not my most mature move but hey, come on we can't always act like we have a halo over our heads, can we?

Well, I guess we better whoop Medusa's ass now. Otherwise, we will seem weak and timid in comparison to Clarisse. I mean, wow. I can't believe it. Only she could be sarcastic to Medusa and get away with it. I really respect her... I'm beginning to sound like I'm whipped but you know what? I don't care!

Now it is my time to show her that I am equally badass. That's it, I'm going in!

And with that, I charge in after her, a large smug smile plastered across my face as I kick the door open. Grover and the rest stare at me aghast. I know what they are thinking. They didn't think that I could kick the door open; well I can tell you that if you really want something, you are willing to do anything you can to reach your goal. And I guess right now I am pretty determined.

The garden centre is pretty freaky to be honest. Everywhere I look statues of all shapes and sizes stare blankly at me. How funny it is to think that these statues were once living, breathing human beings.

What? You didn't think that I would crack the 'cryptic' code, did you? Well, my friend I think that this is an opportune time to laugh at your stupidity. Ha ha, I'm right and you're wrong. Hey, I'm not a total airhead. Actually, I like to think that I'm pretty intelligent, if not average intelligence, which is pretty much the same thing if you ask me.

As I sprint in my hurry to find Clarisse, I accidentally crash into one of the bigger statues in the massive courtyard in which I'm currently standing. Greek style pillars or columns if you will, stand at each corner, supporting a gigantic roof previously I was unaware of... I guess that was pretty dim of me, but I swear that I didn't see it until this very moment. The statue stands straight and clearly, this person was heads and shoulders taller than me, because the statue's head almost touches the decorated roof, which is probably about four feet above us. So, I am unable to see the visage of the creature, but it doesn't make me any less curious. How could such a gigantic figure be so easily fooled by the Queen of Snakes herself, Medusa?

And now as I look closer, wanting to have a good look at this bizarre statue, I see a tail resting on the creature's broad shoulders. Ouch, that must hurt. That tail must weigh at least a ton.

Wait, what was that?

A scream.

There it goes again. Yes, there is no other way to say this ladies and gentlemen, that was a high girly scream. But no, it didn't come from the mouth of a girl. I turn around just as Grover rushes into the majestic courtyard. His mouth opens and closes, but not before the scream emanates from his mouth once more. Wow, he is really good at that. I suppose if the worst comes to the worst, we could use Grover as bait. But that would be mean and uncalled for. I don't know why I even thought that, I suppose he freaked me out screaming like a freaking banshee. I mean, Jesus Christ, can a guy not stare at a statue for two minutes without hoping that the nearby glass encased defibrillator will save my life.

Okay, that's a pretty extreme measure but you understand where I am coming from.

"Grover! Grover!"

Grover begins to blubber like a child whose soft toy has fallen in the mud. I mean, he has got it spot on; the pout, the puppy eyes swimming in unshed tears and not to mention, the quivering lip.

I roll my eyes. I can't handle this right now. What would be the kinder option: to slap him or to squirt him with some water? Well, the water will make him squittish and complain that he will smell of goat hair all day. And frankly, he will end bruised by the girls who will only cause him to complain more, he will become moody and depressed because his 'gorgeous' hair is ruined and that he has to change his outfit, so one small, quick slap will really do him no harm in the long run. I might sound pretty chaste about this, but believe me I have dealt with Grover's mood swings time and time again, so I am pretty experienced on how to deal with him when he is being, and please do pardon my French, a pain in the hole. It isn't the classiest way to phrase it, but hey then again I'm not quite sure that there is a classy way to phrase it. And regardless, I don't care, simple as. I'm being honest, I'm often told that I'm too honest, but would you prefer that I lie?

"Grover! What is it? Why are you freaking out?"

No, not this game again. If he doesn't answer me in the next five seconds... Yeah, I will let that threat slide. I mean, he is my best friend and all, but sometimes!

"Clarisse!"

And with that, his brown, expressive eyes roll back in his head and he collapses in a pile on the cold, stone ground in front of me. What? Clarisse? What's wrong with her? I mean, she can hold her own. She isn't the type to let anyone get the better of her and I say this from experience. That time, I captured the flag off her...Yeah, she didn't take it well!

I know that Clarisse is more than capable of defending herself, so why am I so worried? Yeah, because I am her boyfriend. It's my job to worry about her when she is in possible trouble... I can only hope that trouble isn't the one and only Medusa, because let's face it; she's hardly a girl's girl.

Just thinking of her going shopping with the 'girlfriends' is enough to make me giggle so much that I almost lose control of my own bladder. How embarrassing.

**I am so sorry that I haven't updated in months, but I was mainly writing in the ATLA fandom (check out my other stories, if you think that I'm lying :P ) and a lot was going on. Can you please forgive me? If you forgive me, leave me a review in that little lonely review box! :P**

**Anyway, I'm currently on holiday... three months off, well two months up, one month to go. Tell me how long are your summer holidays and what country you live in. :)**

**Thank you all for being such amazing readers!**


	26. Victory Tastes Like Pie

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO**

**Thanks to Graecus and Graeca, SEAGUL (THANK YOU FOR POINTING OUT THAT MAJOR MISTAKE!), Guest, .rules, livelovellamas, Mstwilightlover1996, APseudonimo, Guest, Ichigome, Guest and BookDevourer52 for your amazing reviews!**

**Guest (Um..then why did you read a Perisse fic? No offense but clearly people like this fic?)**

**This chapter is in Clarisse's POV.**

Oh shit, are the first two words that pop into my head. I am currently participating in a staring competition against the queen of staring herself (she also goes by the name of queen of the snakes, but that is a story for a different day). And believe me, I am really regretting my impulsive decision to chase after her. Not only is it beyond stupid but now I am well and truly lost.

However, in my opinion it was worth it because never did I ever think that I would be fortune enough to sass Medusa without so much as a single reaction from her. It is quite spectacular really. I am shell shocked.

But another side of me is questioning my sanity.

'You chased Medusa, are you mentally sound? I think that you are a complete idiot. Why would you do something like that? Just so you can prove that you are your dad's daughter? And you are trying to distance yourself from your failure of a mother?'

Well, it is partly true. Being a daughter of Ares, I feel like I can't show my softer side to anyone. I can imagine my dad frowning at me for letting 'the family name' down.

Sometimes, I imagine these scenarios in my head that play out as the following.

I am staring out into the stormy sea, which is most definitely not my territory.

Poseidon and Ares have never gotten along.

Once as a child, I went for a swim in the beautiful sea near camp. I wasn't at camp long, but I knew about all the different rivals. But did I listen? No, of course not. I have to be difficult. I went for a casual swim; it was a beautiful August day and the sun was beaming down on the aqua waters. Suddenly, the current changed and I was almost swept out to sea. I heard the menacing sea creatures giggling and talking in their own special language, the language that is spoken only in Poseidon's palace and home, Atlantis. I was swept under the water and I tried repeatedly to swim to the surface. But to no avail. All of the kicking and screaming had worn me out and I was sinking down, down, down…

I woke up in the infirmary completely unaware of how close I came to death. Chiron stared at me in astonishment. He didn't know how it was possible for me to survive.

I remember a boy about my age with black hair and green eyes rescuing me from the watery depths of my soon to be grave.

However, that could just be a hallucination? Or is it? The boy does seem eerily similar to Percy…

Well, I suppose in this world, you can never know. All I know for definite is that I am thankful that my life was spared.

And suddenly, Ares my father materialised beside me. But unlike the loving dad I know he stared at me in ominous silence. His eyes piercing my very soul. Suddenly, his eyes flashed a strange amber colour before returning to their normal flame like state. Which isn't particularly normal by average standards but they are a common sight in Olympus and its surrounding lands.

"Clarisse, you are messing with the stars. This is a disaster. You're going to cause world turmoil if you continue on with this tempestuous relationship. A child of Ares and a child of Poseidon were never meant to get along. The ancient prophecy states "When the two star-struck lovers commit treason and turn against their respective fathers; a child of Poseidon and a child of Ares will soon learn the error of their ways. But alas, it is far too late for that now," he prophesised in a voice that seems strangely familiar yet also incredibly different from his own curt voice.

I laugh at this seemingly melodramatics, certain that he is merely joking around.

"Father, doesn't all this seem rather far-fetched and made up?"

His eyes flash once more, in a rather menacing manner.

"This is no joking matter, Clarisse. You are insulting the ways of your ancestors laughing like you do. Laughing is dangerous territory for someone like you; whom the gods including myself are already furious with. This is a mistake. You are a mistake. Perseus Jackson will suffer the consequences for messing with a daughter of Ares. Just because he is a son of the Big Three, don't think for one second that he cannot be punished. As a matter of fact, the consequences are far greater for him….."

And that is usually where the dream ends abruptly, leaving me in a flustered state. I know that it is a bad dream, but what if there is some truth in it?

Shit. Shit. I am in deep shit.

Medusa is tapping her wrist and laughing in a bizarre manner.

"Your name is Clarisse? Ah, there has been much talk of you in the Underworld. The girl who is dating the infamous son of Poseidon, Perseus Jackson. You know," she says in a matter of fact manner," you are incredibly lucky, you are no beauty unlike myself in my heyday-"

Honestly, who says hey day? And thanks for boosting my confidence, the woman who has snakes for hair. You sure can talk. At least, I don't have reptiles instead of hair.

"-and I am sure that you know all this by now. So tell me..." she pauses abruptly and I realise that now is my moment to pounce. If I am going to cause harm to me, best do while she is in a chatty frame of mind. I have heard rumours about Medusa and male companions; that she likes to play with them before she ends their live with cold hard stone. Charming.

"Clarisse, you must do something that keeps Perseus Jackson. Forgive my rustiness with modern day language, but are you a slut?"

I am gobsmacked. Medusa did not just tell me that I must be rather promiscuous to keep Percy interested. I pinch myself and I quickly regret it. Yeah, I get it. I am awake. This is not some sort of weird, horrible dream.

"I know this might seem weird to you, but perhaps Percy likes me for me?"

And she laughs like a total psychopath, as if the very idea is laughable.

"Honey, you certainly aren't a daughter of Aphrodite but you sure are amusing. Let me tell you something hun," she declares, "sooner or later, he is going to tire of you. He is going to grow up to be a hero, after all it is usually the children of the Big Three who are remembered forever. He mightn't realise that he is attractive now, but he will come to discover that he can manipulate girls much like I can manipulate male mortals. And he will have no use for you. Bye Clarisse."

Okay, she has awakened the devil within me. She deserves what she gets now. I am not responsible for my actions. I am not responsible for my actions.

"You may be right," I say in my sweetest voice (which is probably not all that sweet.)

"I am glad that you have come to my way of thinking, dear."

And as she turns her back for a split second, I grab my sword which lies by my side and I swing towards her irritating head, as the dratted snakes hiss and I exclaim my words of fury.

"You bitch, how dare you make me feel worthless," I say as her severed head rests at my feet.

"Huh?"

Percy! Finally, it took him a while.

"You finally decided to show up?" I say as I smirk with pride.

He sprints towards me and he leans in, tenderly holding my face in his face.

"You're amazing, Clarisse, you know that?"

I smile softly.

"I know but it feels good to be reminded," I cheekily reply.

And we kiss and kiss, until it becomes awkward. Remember Medusa's head still lies between us. That is bound to get awkward. I gently kick her sunglasses back onto her face. That is the end of her for a while anyway.

**I know. I am such a terrible person for not updating in six months! That's like ten years in fanfiction :O Apologies, but hopefully this chapter is good enough to make up for my disappearance from the PJO fandom. But I haven't been completely gone, I did update many ATLA fics and I also started many fics for the ATLA fandom centering around Zutara. So check those out!**

**WOW! I can't believe 188 reviews already! You guys are the absolute best. Please help me to get over 200 reviews. :)**

**For a while there, I was going to simply stop writing for the PJO fandom. I just felt drained and I couldn't write amazing fics like so many other people. **

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